


The Kingdom

by Texan_Red_Rose



Series: Scheherazade [3]
Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: No Incest, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 04:25:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 36,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5525303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Texan_Red_Rose/pseuds/Texan_Red_Rose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anna and Elsa are still together and it's time to meet the parents. Oh boy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Trouble

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Don't. Own. Shit. Again. Anyway, this is a sequel to Scheherazade and Sultan. It's pretty important you read those first. Seriously.
> 
> Also... Warning: This fic covers about the same amount of time as the previous fics combined and gets a bit more real. There will be highs and lows. You will probably curse me at least once. Essentially, proceed at your own peril.

They fell into a new routine after Valentine's Day. Somehow, it just made sense to spend some nights at Elsa's apartment, seeing as she already had some of her clothes there. Sometimes, they'd go out to dinner or ice skating- after the third time, Anna was pretty sure she was getting the hang of it- or the park, then go their separate ways. Other times- which Anna openly admitted to preferring and were occurring with greater frequency as the months wore on- the redhead would get off work and head straight over to Elsa's, either with enough time to eat dinner and talk about their day or just to spend the night wrapped up in each other.

Though he still complained loudly about the light bruise Anna had given him as repayment for his role in Valentine's Day, Kristoff seemed just as pleased with the change in their routine as they were. Anna blamed it on the fact he was no longer being kicked out of their apartment more often than not but he insisted he was happy for her. Of the three of them, he was the first to broach the topic of Anna possibly moving in with the blonde, though the redhead was the one to reluctantly shoot him down.

As much as she adored the prospect, the reality was she still had school work that she could barely keep up with, forget trying to concentrate on a textbook while Elsa was in the next room, much less the same room. Maybe once the semester ended, she could use the summer to adjust and hopefully build up some self restraint. In fact, Spring Break was coming up, so they could use that time as a trial period. When she suggested as much to Elsa, the blonde shot her a positively glowing smile and eagerly agreed.

It was weird, having something so... _blissfully and ridiculously domestic_ to look forward to but Anna couldn't keep the smile off her face every time she thought about it.

* * *

Tonight happened to be one of the nights where they had time, so they were lying on Elsa's couch, watching yet another musical, with Anna tucked up into Elsa's embrace, their right hands clasped and resting on Anna's stomach. Though _Sweeney Todd_ was much darker than their usual movies choices, Anna enjoyed the music and the accents.

Okay, mostly the accents.

"You cannot be serious!" Anna laughed, turning her head to eye the blonde over her shoulder.

"I'm being serious," Elsa replied calmly, lifting herself up so she could meet the redhead's gaze. "They have a museum dedicated to Sweeney Todd in London, down on the real Fleet Street."

"I don't believe you." Anna shook her head with a smile. "Sweeney Todd isn't real and you're making fun of my American sensibilities."

"But I'm not." The blonde shifted slightly, lips curling into a shy smile. "Maybe you will let me prove it to you?"

"You have pictures of this supposed museum?" She raised a brow but furrowed them almost immediately when Elsa looked away, a light blush coming to her cheeks.

"Actually, I was thinking we could go see it. Together."

The redhead's mind went blank a moment, her body filling the void by turning until she was on her back until she could articulate properly. "You want to take me to London?"

"Well, to be honest, I want to take you to The Netherlands, but we could stop by London along the way." Elsa cleared her throat, looking anywhere but at Anna as she released the redhead's hand and started fiddling with her braid. "I-it's up to you, of course."

Recognizing the action, Anna quickly set about pulling Elsa into her arms, settling the other woman against her, tucking her head under her chin and stroking up and down her back. They stayed like that for a while as the movie continued in the background, Anna's attention focused completely on calming the woman in her arms. When she felt ready, Elsa pushed herself up, hovering over the redhead and meeting her gaze.

"My parents live near the corporate headquarters in The Netherlands. I usually visit them in the summer for my birthday. I was wondering if you could-" She cut herself off, shaking her head slightly and starting again. "I was hoping you'd be willing to accompany me this year, so you could meet them. Or maybe next year, if this year is too sudden."

"You want me to meet your parents?" Anna waited until Elsa nodded her confirmation before continuing, her face and tone serious. "One condition." The blonde nodded again, more curious than concerned. Anna broke into a wide smile. "You have to meet my parents, too. How's that?"

Elsa visibly relaxed, snuggling up to her. "Absolutely. Whenever you want."

"My mom'll go bouncing off the walls when I tell her." The redhead chuckled. "I'll tell you when we have a set date."

"They live close?" Elsa's brows furrowed. "You've never really talked about your parents."

"Well, I can fix that."

The two spent hours exchanging stories about the escapades that their parents seemed to remember best, filling in the details they'd previously left entirely alone. Anna painted her parents as the fun loving, gentle, nurturing terrors they were, including how very fond they were of hugs. Elsa spoke of her own parents with a mixture of respect, utter adoration, and frustration.

The conversation added context to what she'd already mentioned of her parents; between the two, it was Elsa's mother who objected strongly to her going to America and always pushed the issue of a 'suitable' match. Her father, on the other hand, seemed to easily bend to her wants whenever the issue of Elsa's happiness was broached. He needed supporting reasons, of course, but Elsa was certain he'd only pretended to be reluctant about agreeing to her moving to America to appease her mother.

He was dead set on her succeeding him as head of the company, though, and he wasn't exactly happy when she mentioned he should choose someone else.

"Wait, _should_?" Anna furrowed her brows and frowned. "Snowflake-"

"Shush." Elsa pressed a finger to her lips, effectively silencing the redhead while she smirked. "Don't 'Snowflake' me; this particular conversation occurred before I even considered coming to America." She pulled her finger away, leaning down to gently lay a kiss in its stead. "Just like Jack, I grew tired of the crown I was to inherit. I tried to give it up but my father refused to acknowledge the possibility. He told me he'd gone through a similar phase when he was young and that I'd get over it, eventually." Elsa's eyes unfocused, as if she was reliving a memory rather than lying on a couch with Anna. "Now, I suppose I understand exactly what he meant back then."

Unsure what to say, Anna pulled Elsa towards her, peppering light kisses along the blonde's neck and nuzzling the skin there, waiting for her girlfriend to reciprocate. It took a few moments before she did, obviously distracted by wherever her mind had gone.

"I'll have to tell them about us before we go. I'm not sure how they'll react." Elsa admitted, drawing back to look at Anna.

"My mom always says that, when it comes to things like this, those who mind, don't matter, and those who matter, don't mind. I'm sure they'll accept you after they get over the initial shock." She laced their right hands together, placing a gentle kiss on Elsa's ring. "Either way, you're not getting rid of me that easily, not now."

"Good." Elsa pressed a kiss of her own to Anna's ring. "I'd choose you over anything IKEA could offer, any day."

Anna playfully gasped. "Even the meatballs?"

She didn't miss the mischievous twinkle in her girlfriend's eyes. " _Especially_ the meatballs."

"Well, then it's official." Anna nodded. "Either you're a keeper or you're certifiably insane. Perhaps both."

"Will you take me anyway?"

"Like you even have to ask," Anna said before claiming the blonde's lips. They didn't even notice the movie ending as they continued making out, only stopping when Anna had to beg off from being a tad too... excited.

Anna spent the rest of the night alternating between teasing Elsa for getting her so worked up and soothing the blonde's guilt. She only stopped when her girlfriend threatened to withhold cuddles.

Considering how ridiculous their threats to each other were, they were surprisingly effective.

* * *

Anna took a deep breath, taking Elsa's hand in hers as they started up the steps to her childhood home. She'd chosen her best slacks and blouse for the occasion while Elsa was wearing a more professional looking skirt and blouse, with heels. It had taken Anna a good twenty minutes to get over the heels, her attention only drawn away when Elsa donned her jean jacket. Somehow, that was _still_ the thing that caught her attention most effectively.

Now that they were actually at their destination, though, Anna felt a strange sense of nervousness worming its way into her gut. This was an entirely new experience for the redhead; she couldn't remember even _mentioning_ taking a boyfriend or girlfriend to meet her parents. She certainly hadn't even considered the notion with Hans, charming though he was.

Her parents, well, they always knew when she was dating, because she was always a bit too honest with them for her own good. If they ever wondered why she didn't introduce any of her former significant others, they never said anything about it.

But now that she was bringing Elsa to meet them? Dear Lord, her mother would _not_ shut up about it! There were at least a hundred phone calls between them and twice as many texts setting up the dinner, making sure every detail was accounted for and a back-up plan in place, and a back-up plan for the back-up plan's back-up plan.

Her mother went a bit overboard with the planning thing, when given the chance. At least her father was weathering the storm alongside her, in spirit if not physically.

Actually, he was probably getting it worse, considering Anna was a good two hours away.

"You know, you being nervous is making me nervous." Elsa whispered loudly, nudging her shoulder and smiling.

"I'm not nervous; I'm just my mother's daughter."

"That explains nothing."

"Wait until you've met her," Anna replied, standing in front of the door and debating on knocking momentarily before opening it anyway. "Mom? Dad?"

A loud crash echoed from the kitchen and Anna braced herself, releasing Elsa's hand to wrap an arm around the blonde's shoulders as they stood in the entryway. Not two seconds later her mother emerged from the kitchen further down the hall, eyes wide as she beamed at them.

"Just remember: I love you," Anna said before pushing Elsa forward and causing the blonde to stumble slightly.

Which wasn't a problem because, before her girlfriend could even utter a suitable exclamation of surprise, Elsa was wrapped up in her mother's arms as the woman nearly squeezed the life out of her.

Anna would've felt bad about essentially sacrificing Elsa to the wolves if she didn't already know the 'wolf' in this case was more like an over-sized puppy with boundary issues.

"So you're Elsa! I've heard _so_ much about you, dear, and aren't you just the cutest thing!" Her mother drew back, looking Elsa up and down and commenting so quickly, no one could get a word in edgewise. "Look at you! Such bright eyes, so blue, and you've got the most adorable, barely-there freckles I've ever seen! And your hair, so luxurious, you must take good care of it, and your outfit! Sweetie, you're like a Scandinavian Barbie, but so much cuter!"

"Mom!" Anna groaned, running a hand over her face. "Could you calm down? Please?"

"But Anna, she's gorgeous!"

Elsa seemed to recover from her mild shock at that point, finally returning the hug and laughing. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mrs. Andersen."

"Oh, and so proper!" Anna's mother laughed, shaking her head. "Dear, you can call me Mom or Bulda, but Mrs. Andersen is far too formal! We're very laid back around here."

"She's right. Trust me on this," Anna's father said as he descended the stairs, wearing a soft smile and nodding towards Anna. "After you've tried to teach _this_ one some manners, you begin to realize that some of that stuff is just too silly to bother with anyway."

"Thanks, Dad, thanks for making me out to be some sort of heathen." Anna rolled her eyes but quickly hugged him as he opened his arms for her.

He merely chuckled, turning his gaze to Elsa. "You've seen her eat, right? I don't think anything makes a better case for me than that."

"For the record, Mr. Andersen, I think her manners are adorable." Elsa smiled at her, accepting the hand her father offered.

"Cliff, or Dad, as the case may be. We really are the informal type and-" he paused, pulling on Elsa's arm as Bulda released the blonde, wrapping her up and a hug beside Anna. "-we're the hugging type, too."

"You can't even say I didn't warn you." Anna mumbled, though it morphed into a smile as Elsa chuckled.

As Cliff released them, he turned to Bulda, who seemed ready to launch into some sort of speech- or, more likely, a never ending game of twenty questions. "How's dinner coming?"

"Oh! Right." Bulda turned, bustling back towards the kitchen while Cliff winked at them.

"I'll come get you when dinner's on the table, Sweetheart," her father said, turning to follow his wife and throwing over his shoulder in a softer tone. "Take advantage of the break."

Left alone in the entryway, Elsa turned to Anna wearing the brightest smile. "Your parents are lovely, Anna." Her smile fell slightly as she absently reached for her braid. "I'm not sure if you can expect such a warm reception from my parents, though."

Anna smiled reassuringly, guiding Elsa upstairs. Her father wasn't kidding; when her mother got _this_ excited, it was a good idea to catch a breather when the opportunity presented itself.

"Have you talked to them yet?" She gently probed, having resisted asking ever since the blonde mentioned broaching the topic of their relationship during her next conversation with her parents.

With Spring Break coming up, Elsa had invited Anna to stay the week at her apartment. Doing so, however, would invariably mean that Anna would be present when Elsa's parents called or vice versa and the blonde didn't want to lie about who Anna was or why she was there or have the redhead hide until the call was over.

"I did, actually," Elsa replied, her voice carefully neutral as they stepped into Anna's old room. The blonde took a look around, grinning slightly as she looked back at the redhead. "Boy bands? Really?"

"Maybe I was under a bit more pressure to 'fit in' as a teen, so sue me." Anna playfully groused, going to sit on her old bed, surprised by how comfortable it still felt. "As I got older, I kinda got attached to them. Reminders of simpler times, ya know?"

Elsa shook her head, sitting beside the redhead and leaning against her. "They were shocked, initially. My father more than my mother."

Anna winced, wrapping an arm around Elsa's shoulders and pressing a kiss to her hair. She didn't like the way this seemed to be going.

"It passed surprisingly quickly for my mother; she was... a bit vocal in her disapproval." Elsa laughed, though it wasn't a happy sound, and that cut Anna to the core. She'd never heard her girlfriend make a sound like that and she held her all the tighter for it. "I can't say I'm surprised, really."

"And your father?"

"My father..." Elsa buried herself further into Anna's embrace, putting her arms around the redhead's waist and hugging her. "He wants to meet you."

Anna felt the dread that was formerly welling up in her chest collide with a growing sense of relief.

"He was more shocked than my mother and didn't recover very quickly. It wasn't until I started explaining to her how you make me feel, how I'd happily be disowned if it meant I could stay with you, that he seemed to snap out of it." Elsa chuckled, slightly happier this time. "He even offered to fly us out to The Netherlands for Spring Break. I think he was a little disappointed that we already agreed on going for my birthday."

"So, he's okay with it?" Anna tentatively offered, trying not to get her hopes up. As much as it pained her, she would really feel horrible if their relationship meant ruining Elsa's bond with her parents.

"Knowing him, he's withholding judgment until he can assess the situation from all angles." Elsa explained, adopting a tone Anna had begun to associate with anything the blonde learned in regards to business. It just seemed like she was enunciating her words clearer, carefully crafting her sentences. Serious, almost regal, really. "He doesn't act on impulse or make emotional decisions- except in regards to me, but only on occasion. He always waits until he has as much information as there is, looking from every side, and choosing the most appropriate path. Even the smallest decision can have a global impact, so he must be careful which proposals he approves and which ones he denies and he applies that philosophy to all aspects of his life."

"So, this is like a business venture to him?" Anna raised a brow, pleased when Elsa drew back enough to look her in the eye, wearing a small grin.

" _Everything_ is a venture, Sunshine, and requires his utmost care before making a decision." She outright laughed. "I swear, he takes at least five minutes to choose which socks to wear every morning, depending on the weather, his suit, and how much sitting he's projected to be doing that day."

"I can't wait to meet him. Both of your parents. Maybe we can change your mother's mind." Anna leaned back, pulling Elsa with her as they reclined on her bed. They stared at the ceiling for a while in silence, Anna's frown deepening as she process what Elsa had said.

What if she couldn't convince her mother otherwise? What if she made a poor impression on her father? What if they demanded Elsa dump her and the blonde refused? Could Anna really be the reason Elsa was disowned by her own parents? Maybe they weren't as close as Anna was with hers but, damnit, that was the blonde's family! Could she really take that away from Elsa? Wasn't that selfish on her part?

"Hey," Elsa said, swinging a leg over as she settled above Anna. Despite the position, sex was the furthest thing from the redhead's mind- even if it caused that skirt to ride up a little- as Elsa leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips before continuing. "Sunshine, put those thoughts away. If I had never met you, I wouldn't have the courage to tell my parents the truth. I wouldn't have the motivation. I came to this country looking for a freedom that _you_ give me every time you smile." She caught Anna's right hand in hers. "If I can't have both my parents _and_ you in my world, then I choose the part that accepts me as I am. I love my parents but whether I stay in their lives is _their_ choice. Not yours and not mine, so don't feel guilty for how things turn out."

Anna pressed her lips to their joined hands, blinking back tears as Elsa settled against her, wrapping her free arm around the blonde's waist.

"I love you, Snowflake."

"I love you, too, Sunshine."

They stayed like for a while, their quiet breathing the only sound filling the room, and Anna could feel herself slowly falling asleep. She shifted slightly to try and stave it off but Elsa took the action differently, claiming the redhead's lips in a deep kiss as she continued to pin Anna down.

The redhead moaned, eagerly returning the blonde's affections.

She'd completely forgotten how they were waiting for dinner to be ready in her parents' house until her father opened the door.

"While we're not exactly strict as a general rule," he began, politely keeping his gaze towards the ceiling, though neither woman doubted he'd taken notice of their rather compromising position. "I must insist you wait until _after_ dinner for your... dessert." He turned, heading back towards the stairs. "Oh, and dinner's ready, whenever you two are. Take your time, no rush."

Anna and Elsa looked at each other, slightly horrified at being caught making out by Anna's father. Realizing that, though, brought a wide smile to the redhead's lips.

"We're both in our twenties and we just got caught making out for the first time in our lives." She fought to keep her voice steady against the slowly rising laughter bubbling up from her chest. "By my _Dad_ of all people!"

Elsa visibly shook off her surprise, gracing Anna with a small smile as she slid off the redhead and stood up, straightening out her clothes. Anna stood up, allowing herself to laugh as she wrapped her girlfriend up in a fierce hug.

"C'mon, you gotta find this funny." Anna peppered Elsa's jaw with little kisses until the blonde relaxed.

"I suppose. I just hope I didn't give them a negative impression." Elsa caught one of her kisses, returning the embrace briefly before pulling Anna towards the door. "We shouldn't keep them waiting."

Anna beamed, secretly hoping her dad wouldn't mention anything about the incident to her mother. She doubted Elsa's concern was well founded; if anything, it probably made him happy that they were being affectionate and comfortable with each other.

But if her mother found out? Well, there wouldn't be even the slightest doubt as to what she thought about it. She wanted to spare Elsa that fiasco.

* * *

At the very least, her father was kind enough to wait until towards the end of dinner before bringing it up. And yes, her mother was _very_ clear that he shouldn't have interrupted them, completely missing the blushes rises on both women's cheeks.

Things only got more awkward when Bulda and Cliff presented Elsa with two 'welcome to the family' gifts after they'd relocated to the living room.

One was a handknitted sweater which didn't surprise Anna in the slightest; she had more than a few and even Kristoff had a couple from spending time around the Andersens. They were itchy but very warm and Elsa accepted it with a grateful smile.

The second gift, on the other hand, was a box of chocolate flavored condoms.

What.

"Not that we're opposed to grandchildren," her mother said as shock settled into both of their systems. "We just don't want any 'accidents', seeing as you're both very young and still looking for some stability in your lives."

While Elsa turned several shades of red, Anna was busy leaping off the couch and chasing her mother through the house with a broom while the older woman positively cackled with glee. Her father merely continued drinking his tea, reaching out to comfort the blonde as Anna cornered her mother in the back room.

"Mom, _what the hell did you do_?" Anna fumed, ready to throttle the other woman, loving maternal figure or not.

"Nudged things in the right direction, I'd like to think," her mother replied with a cheeky grin. "Take it from a love expert, honey, I know what I'm doing."

"That's what you said when you tried to reprogram the VCR."

Her mother set her fists on her hips and cocked them to one side. "Number one, no one knows how to program VCRs in the first place, so you can hardly hold that against me. Number two, that was almost twenty years ago, and I'd remind you I have albums _full_ of your less than stellar decision-making skills that cover that particular span of time if you really want to go that route. And number three-" she laughed "-I don't hear a front door slamming."

She hated when her mother had a single irrefutable point against her, so three of them left the redhead trying to choke through syllables before giving up and releasing her frustration in a quick shout and storming off.

By the time Anna made it back to the living room, Elsa was chatting amicably with her father about the stock market- of all things- and seemingly entirely at ease. With little choice, Anna rejoined them and willed herself to calm down, the four of them talking- okay, mostly her parents playing twenty questions with Elsa to learn more about the blonde while Anna bailed her out if the questions got too personal. Either because her parents were done torturing her or through sheer luck, her father recalled a doctor's appointment he had the following morning and they left shortly after, exchanging hugs and promises to get together again very soon.

The redhead didn't miss that Elsa took the sweater _and_ the condoms when they left, opting not to comment on it for the time being.

They'd talk about it when Elsa was ready.

In the meantime, Anna was busy mentally celebrating the fact that her parents absolutely loved the blonde, not that there was much doubt regarding that outcome. It just... gave her a sense of pride, that her parents, best friend, and girlfriend all got along- though they seemed in league to drive her insane- and that she was lucky enough to have them all in her life. A sense of responsibility accompanied that, to take care of these precious people who loved her unconditionally.

* * *

Anna slowly returned to the waking world, grumbling incoherently and turning her head into the pillow in an attempt to return to sleep. It was Spring Break. She didn't have work or classes, so why not take the opportunity to sleep in? She took a deep breath to try and trick herself back into sleeping but caught two distinct scents in the air. One was the familiar, crisp, light smell of Elsa's linens; the other was the mouth-watering smell of freshly cooked bacon.

Anna scrubbed at her eyes as she sat up, stretching her arms over her head and yawning loudly.

"Damn." Anna blinked in surprise, looking over to the door to Elsa's bedroom and finding none other than the blonde standing there, a lopsided grin on her lips as she held a fully loaded tray in her hands. "I was hoping to catch you asleep."

"Sorry." She shrugged, scooting over so Elsa could sit on the bed and set the tray between them. Anna promptly took the tray into her lap so the blonde could move even closer. She took a moment to collect her thoughts before sighing. "Okay, I got nothing. What's the occasion?"

"Well, I woke up this morning with a beautiful woman in my arms who I love dearly and who loves me in return and will be spending the entire day with me." Elsa reached over, grabbing a piece of toast and adding some eggs to it. "I feel that's worth celebrating."

Anna leaned over and pecked Elsa on the cheek, digging into the delicious food before she could stutter out a reply. It was day three of Spring Break and the redhead couldn't help but be surprised at how... normal it felt, spending whole days with her girlfriend. They'd gone out to lunch and ordered pizza the first day, spending most of it curled up together on the couch and marathoning foreign films as Elsa described little details missed in the subtitles. The second day, they'd made a trip to the grocery store and took turns cooking, Elsa taking lunch while Anna made dinner, and the two going for a walk inbetween the meals.

It was all so ridiculously domestic, Anna was beginning to think she'd been involved in some horrific accident and was actually lying in a coma in some hospital and the whole experience was a drug induced dream she didn't want to leave.

But then Elsa would kiss her or take her hand, grounding her in the moment, and Anna was totally willing to stay in this dream forever.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Anna spoke around a bite of chocolate filled crepe, leaning against the blonde as she sipped her chocolate milk.

"Well..." Elsa trailed off as her desktop computer suddenly sprang to life, the familiar ring tone of a Skype call coming over the speakers. Anna noticed how her eyes flickered to the clock that was set to The Netherlands' time zone above the desk. "That's odd."

The blonde quickly crossed the room to answer the call, Anna trailing behind, only slightly apprehensive. Sure enough, the monitor displayed a man in his forties, hints of gray at his temples but otherwise looking immaculate and imposing in his suit. His face was set into a severe gaze that would have most people cowering and fleeing the vicinity quickly; there was no doubt that this was Elsa's father, CEO of IKEA and one of the wealthiest men in the world.

"Hallo far," Elsa said in Norwegian, a smile on her lips. From over her shoulder, Anna watched and listened to the exchange, trying to put her sparse language lessons to the test. At least, until Elsa turned slightly and waved her closer. "Dette er Anna."

Crap! Now she had to say something!

"Uh, Hallo. Hyggelig møte deg." Anna smiled, internally celebrating that she'd somehow remembered 'nice to meet you' until Elsa leaned towards her.

"Hyggelig _å_ møte deg."

Damnit.

"Hyggelig å møte deg." She corrected, flashing Elsa's father an apologetic smile. "Unnskyld. Jeg... jeg... I'm still learning."

Anna ducked her head, taking little comfort from the soft kiss the blonde pressed to her cheek. She'd really hoped to impress Mr. Aren, not come off like a stereotypical, uncultured American.

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better," Mr. Aren said, his voice firm but not exactly unkind, like a king reading a decree; his word was law, and she could picture in her head the compassionate ruler rather than the intimidating tyrant looking at her through the screen.

"I recognize that. He wrote plays... starts with a 'B'..."

Mr. Aren nodded. "Beckett. Samuel Beckett."

He turned his attention to Elsa, rattling off something that was too quick for the redhead to catch. It wasn't until the blonde responded, her voice betraying her exasperation, that Anna realized they were talking about visiting The Netherlands so Anna could meet Elsa's parents properly. Apparently, Mr. Aren was trying to find some other holiday break or week- regardless of school or work- that would be sooner than waiting for the summer.

Recognizing the beginning of an argument, Anna quickly draped her arms over Elsa's shoulders, placing a kiss just beneath her right ear. The gesture calmed the blonde considerably, earning her a brief glance and a hint of a smile before Elsa's attention was focused on her father once more.

The man sat, as rigid as when he first appeared, and just stared at them through the screen until he released a long sigh, his shoulders dropping the barest amount. When he was finished, his lips actually quirked up into the barest hints of a smile, speaking softly and slowly enough this time for Anna to understand that he was dropping the issue and was looking forward to their visit in June.

After saying goodbye, Elsa and Anna stayed staring at the screen, the redhead more than a little confused while her girlfriend seemed deep in thought.

"He likes you," Elsa eventually said, turning to press a kiss against her cheek first, then her lips as Anna turned to meet her.

"How can you tell?" She moved, running her hands up and down Elsa's arms while pressing open mouthed kisses all along the blonde's neck.

"He smiled." Elsa mumbled, tilting her head away so Anna could have more room to work.

However, the redhead paused, frowning slightly. "Well, that's terrifying. Does he not smile often?"

"Not while he's at work." She blinked as Elsa reached up, tangling a hand in her hair and pulling her down for another kiss. The angle was a bit odd but not entirely unpleasant. Then again, things with Elsa rarely were. "He has an image to maintain. He's a stern man but a very loving father. You'll see."

"I'll take your word for it." Anna shook her head slightly, pulling away slowly to return to the bed. Their breakfast would get cold at this rate. "Come back to bed, Snowflake."

Elsa laughed, joining her to continue their breakfast. "As I was saying, I was wondering if you would be interested in going to IKEA."

"Hmmm." Anna contemplated the offer while munching on her crepe. She swallowed, turning towards Elsa. "Will you promise me you won't let me buy anything? We really don't have the room for it and Kris will seriously kick my butt if I bring home another swirly office chair."

"Deal."

* * *

The trip to IKEA was, mostly, uneventful. Anna pointed out some of the nicer furniture sets she'd picked out as her goals for whenever she finished school and got a place of her own while Elsa introduced her to some of the blonde's coworkers. She was also re-introduced to Mr. Oaken, the burly man she'd nearly attacked on Valentine's Day, who also kept a part time job at the IKEA to maintain appearances. Their second meeting went much smoother than the first, thankfully.

Afterwards, they stopped by the cafeteria for lunch.

"I'm not complaining or anything but... why did we come here again?" Anna glanced at her girlfriend beside her. "'Cause, now, all I can think about is how badly I want to redecorate my room."

Elsa toyed with her salad a moment before flashing her a shy smile. "I suppose I wanted to... show off." At the redhead's questioning look, she continued. "Whenever my father would take me to events, he'd always introduce me to his associates, and they'd introduce their spouses or families or whoever they brought with them. Until I introduced you to my father, it never really occurred to me how thrilling it could feel to tell someone else 'this is my girlfriend and she's amazing and she loves me and she's mine, so please keep your jealousy to yourself', though not in so many words." She shook her head. "Silly, isn't it?"

Anna blinked, smiling as she gently nudged her girlfriend's shoulder with her own. "Not at all."

Elsa flashed her a grateful smile, taking a bite of her food. "I noticed you didn't point out a bed that you liked."

"Oh, yeah, see, I had my eye on this twin sized one for the _longest_ time, but..." The redhead cleared her throat, feeling a light blush rising in her cheeks. "Well, I've noticed sleeping in a twin is kinda uncomfortable for two people."

Her girlfriend hummed. "So, you're saying you prefer mine?" Anna nodded, hoping the blonde didn't see the answer as anything more than what she meant. "I suppose a queen is more comfortable. Good to know."

Anna released a quiet sigh of relief. She really didn't want Elsa to think she was trying to push the issue of sex any time soon.

* * *

Kristoff brought out the big guns, laying it on thick with a puppy dog pout that could bend the Devil himself to his will. " _Please_ Anna? You know how important this is."

The redhead sighed but, without her friend's knowledge, had already planned to relent. That didn't stop her from cursing the timing of everything. "Honestly, I don't see how throwing Eugene a surprise kegger that he already knows about as a belated birthday party trumps date night with Elsa, but we already talked about it. We're in."

Kristoff dropped the pleading look in favor of raising a brow. "Wait, 'we' as in she's coming, too?"

"If that's alright." Anna shrugged, favoring him with a shy smile.

"Of course it's alright!" He laughed, clapping her on the back. "It's about time you introduced her to the crew! Plus, if she can make it through a night of drunken stupidity on our parts, there's literally _nothing_ you can do to scare her off!"

"Need I remind you she's already had to deal with _you_ being incredibly intoxicated?"

"But she's never dealt with _Eugene_ being incredibly intoxicated." He quickly pointed out.

Shit. He was right.

"But I'm sure everything will be fine." Kristoff turned, heading back towards the living room. "Just be sure to keep an eye on her! You know how some of the guys get around pretty women."

Anna turned back to her homework, taking a moment to reevaluate her choices. It wasn't that she didn't trust her friends to behave; she just really hoped none of them gave her ample reason to chuck them through a window. She didn't mind teasing but they would have another thing coming if they thought she would sit back and let them make her girlfriend feel even the least bit uncomfortable.

Eugene's place was two stories, so her back-up plan was at least possible.

* * *

Despite Kristoff's warning, everyone was behaving themselves remarkably well.

Well, relatively speaking; this was still a college kegger, which meant alcohol was flowing freely in every room, nearly everyone was intoxicated beyond redemption, and those who weren't shamelessly acting like idiots were making out in various dark corners. However, no one had even dared hitting on Elsa since they arrived and the blonde was enjoying herself, so the redhead had no complaints whatsoever. Anna had never had much of a taste for alcohol but the blonde had apparently taken a liking to beer during her trips back home- though wine remained her poison of choice- and surprised nearly everyone by drinking the guys under the table without so much as developing a slur. While she wasn't a fan of American brands, Elsa was more than capable of holding her own.

At the moment, Elsa was finishing off Kristoff's half of the spoils from a lost round of Beer Pong, lightly teasing him about missing the table completely on the last shot. Anna was standing against one wall, taking a few sips from her water. Much more at ease around her friends than her parents, Elsa had clicked with most of them, and even convinced Eugene to start using her name instead of 'blonde chick' within the first ten minutes. She also managed to strike fear into some poor soul who had the nerve to insinuate that American beers were just as good as European ones.

Apparently, that won her bonus points with Anna's friends. Anna wasn't quite sure if that was a good or bad thing yet.

But, it was moments like these that Anna could really see Elsa becoming the successful CEO of a global company: charming and intimidating at the right times and capable of discerning how to best approach a situation and, somehow, remarkably human.

Well, as human as a goddess like her girlfriend could be, she supposed, smiling fondly as the next game was set up.

"Hey, Sexy." Anna nearly jumped out of her skin as some woman she'd never seen before in her life pressed against her out of nowhere, long black tresses trailing down her back. "Don't tell me you're, hmmm, all alone, tonight?"

"Actually, my girlfriend's standing right over there." The redhead nodded towards the pong table, trying to gently shrug the other woman off while smiling. Damn waitress' manners.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, a spark lighting in those glazed eyes that clearly spoke of a singular mission on the woman's mind. "She seems busy. How about we have a little fun?"

"No thanks," Anna said firmly, about to push off the wall and make her way over to Elsa when the woman suddenly- and a bit too firmly- pressed a hand to her crotch. She winced instantly, not appreciating the rough way the woman was touching her. "I said _no_."

"Aw, come on- oh." The woman looked down, squeezing her hand and nearly causing Anna to bite her tongue as she held in a yelp of surprised discomfort. "That's different. Eh, whatever. I don't mind fucking a freak."

Bile rose in the back of Anna's throat as she roughly pushed the woman off of her, stumbling away the moment she was free and downing what remained of her water. It nearly made her hurl but she needed something to distract herself from the urge to scream, anger and disgust and shame boiling just under the surface and making her skin crawl.

So consumed by the inner turmoil, Anna almost lashed out as arms circled her waist, barely keeping herself in check as a set of very familiar and very concerned blue eyes met hers.

"Sunshine? Are you okay?" Elsa's hands drifted along her back and sides, soothing motions that calmed the redhead considerably. "Did something happen?"

Anna ducked her head, leaning into her girlfriend's embrace and shutting her eyes. She was momentarily caught between the need to vent and the desire to just forget the interaction completely. She ended up going with the latter. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just don't feel well."

As the chaos of her mind and body clashed with that of the party, Anna was too grateful for words when she heard Elsa tell Eugene they would be leaving, making an excuse that the blonde had an early shift at work the following day- which she didn't. She felt bad, letting Elsa take the fall for them departing early, but she couldn't really find her voice once they were moving.

In fact, she couldn't find her voice until they were almost to Elsa's apartment. "I'm sorry-"

"It's okay, Sunshine. I was ready to go anyway." Elsa smiled softly from the passenger's seat, reaching out to take Anna's hand in hers. "You have some very interesting friends."

A flicker of a smile ghosted over the redhead's lips. All she could think about was taking a long shower, washing the feel of that woman away; she barely registered the way Elsa was worriedly watching her until the car was parked. "I'm sorry, Snowflake."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Anna turned her head, noting the overwhelming concern and twinge of sadness on her girlfriend's face.

No doubt the blonde was worried about her. She sighed, lifting their joined hands to place a kiss on the back of Elsa's. "Not right now. Right now, I just want a hot shower and cuddle time. Is... that okay?"

"Of course," she immediately replied, mustering a reassuring smile. It was painfully obvious that Elsa wanted to discuss it right then but was being considerate in light of Anna's feelings. "Jeg elsker deg, Sunshine."

The redhead could barely muster her reply. "I love you, too."

* * *

Lying in bed that night, Anna pressed herself back against Elsa as much as she could without waking her girlfriend. The shower had helped but there was still a lingering amount of disgust, shame, and guilt swirling in her gut. She'd let go of her anger over the mystery woman's presumptuous attitude but getting over the rest was much more difficult.

She was utterly disgusted how _anyone_ could just walk up and touch someone else- especially so intimately- without permission. How someone could do so without even thinking it was _wrong_ or considering that person's feelings about being touched.

And ashamed. Not so much over the woman's actions as her words. How many times had she been called a freak? Why did that word still cut so deep? It wasn't like that woman knew anything about her, so why should her opinion matter?

Both of those just brought on the guilt. That had manifested after she'd let go of her anger and it weighed on her the heaviest. Really, she should've pushed away sooner, should've stopped that woman from getting so close. She was just being polite but that was just an excuse. And what did it matter what that other woman called her? She was in the arms of a beautiful woman- her smart, kind, wonderful, loving _girlfriend_ \- who _didn't_ think of her as a freak, who respected her, who _loved her_.

So why should she let anything that drunk woman did or said bother her?

Yet, it did.

It really _fucking_ did.

Anna squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will the tears away.

How was she going to explain all of this to Elsa? It wasn't like _she_ initiated it. Maybe if she didn't mention it...

No. No, she needed to think this through. What if it was the other way around? If something happened to Elsa that made her uncomfortable, she'd want the blonde to know that she was there to soothe and comfort her, support her in whatever way she needed.

Sure, she'd be _pissed_ and would probably handle it much less gracefully than her girlfriend if the situation was the same, but she'd still want to help in any way she could, and she would keep asking until Elsa relented. It wouldn't be fair to shut the blonde out but expect full honesty from her at the same time.

They'd talk about it tomorrow, after work. Anna had the later shift but she didn't have classes to wake up early for and Elsa didn't either, so they could stay up and talk things out.

Hopefully, that would make it all better.

* * *

The next night, Anna mounted the stairs, weary down to her bones. For obvious reasons, she hadn't slept well the night before, which made the entire day drag. If she wasn't so keen on putting the incident as far behind her as possible, she might've opted out of the conversation with Elsa entirely in favor of going straight to bed. But, she'd already told the blonde she wanted to talk when she got home, so trying to beg off might worry her girlfriend even more.

She really, _really_ didn't want that.

Using her copy of the key to Elsa's apartment, Anna let herself in, calling for the blonde before the door was even shut behind her.

This conversation would be like ripping off a band-aid; get it over quickly, and move on. That was the plan.

When no one answered her call, Anna went further into the apartment, heading towards the bedroom. However, she stopped in the dining room when she noticed two very out of place, very distinctive bottles sitting empty on the table: a fifth of Jack Daniels and Elsa's favorite red wine. Neither of them drank hard liquor and Elsa had just bought a new bottle last week; last Anna checked, it was unopened, so it was highly unlikely the blonde had finished it off in less than two days.

So... where the hell did these come from?

The answer made itself obvious as Elsa appeared in her doorway, wearing nothing more than a blue tank top and panties, leaning against the frame for support.

"Heeeeeey, Sunshine." Anna felt something akin to a rock settle in her gut as she glanced back at the empty bottles. Her girlfriend was drunk. She was swaying and slurring and obviously drunk. All evidence pointed to this being a completely valid conclusion. The question was: exactly how much and how quickly had she drank to get to this state? "I've been waiting... C'mere."

"Snowfla- whoa!" Anna hurried forward, managing to catch the blonde as she tripped on nothing, her coordination so far gone that it was a wonder she'd made it to the bedroom door in the first place. "Okay, you need to sit down for a while."

"'m fine."

"No, no you're not," Anna replied, scooping her squirming girlfriend into her arms and heading for the bedroom. "You're drunk."

"Relaxed. Not drunk." Elsa giggled, pressing a sloppy kiss to Anna's cheek as the redhead set her down on the bed. "There's a difference."

"Uh huh." Rolling her eyes, Anna gave her a small grin. After the stress of everything, coming home to a giggly, affectionate, drunk girlfriend wasn't the worst case scenario, so long as Elsa was forthcoming with answering a few questions. She sat down beside the blonde, wrapping an arm around the other woman's shoulders as she leaned against her, as much for her own sake as to keep Elsa steady. "When did you start drinking?"

"Noon. Ish."

"What about work?"

"Sent home. Wasn't focused." Elsa started nuzzling into her neck, lips skimming Anna's skin.

"Have you eaten anything? Recently?"

"Pasta."

"When?"

"Dunno."

Well, she wasn't getting anywhere with that line of questioning and thinking was becoming progressively more difficult. "Okay, and why did you need to 'relax', as you put it?"

"You wanted to talk." Elsa's lips found her cheek again, then her ear, prompting a delightful shiver from the redhead as a tongue traced along the sensitive skin. "I don't wanna talk."

"Y-you don't?" Anna's eyelids fluttered as Elsa coaxed her into laying back, the blonde straddling her hips while lavishing attention on her neck once more. Her fingers were fumbling with the redhead's tie, bereft of their usual dexterity due to her state of inebriation.

"Mm-mm. I want action." Elsa pulled the tie loose enough to start fumbling with the top button of her shirt but wasn't making much progress. In the meantime, she peppered kisses all along Anna's jaw. When the redhead couldn't take it anymore, she turned her head and captured those adventurous lips with her own briefly. "I don't want you to leave."

"Leave?" Anna chuckled, running her hands along Elsa's thighs, surprised at how quickly everything melted away as her blood was diverted elsewhere. Elsa could get her worked up so quickly, it was almost embarrassing. "Leave where?"

"Leave me."

"Wait, what?" Those words snapped Anna out of her lust induced haze quicker than a cold shower, allowing her the mental processes to recognize a few things.

One: Elsa was _drunk_. To a level she'd never seen kind of drunk. There was no telling if she'd even _remember_ anything the following morning, seeing as the most alcohol she'd ever consumed in front of the redhead was three glasses of wine on New Year's. Two: Elsa got drunk _for a reason_ , and that reason was probably _her_. Three: Elsa was concerned about her leaving.

And then it clicked, the most likely course of events that led them to this moment: Elsa was worried for some reason that Anna's talk involved breaking up, so she decided to broach the seemingly biggest hurdle in their relationship- sex- with the assistance of some liquid courage. And went overboard. By a lot.

While there was definitely a little voice in the back of her mind complaining that she really didn't need to deal with this right now on top of recent events, Anna focused on gently grabbing Elsa's wrists and pulling them away from her futile mission of unbuttoning the redhead's shirt.

"Snowflake, stop." Her voice was soft and calm- almost disturbingly so- and this must've registered to Elsa. Those beautiful blue eyes were wide, glazed, and scared, so Anna somehow mustered a smile. "I don't want to do this. Not while you're drunk."

"But... you do." She sat a little heavier on Anna's hips to emphasize her point and the redhead groaned in spite of herself.

"Please, stop." She choked out, relieved when the weight settled against her immediately receded, though she had to wrap her arms around the blonde's waist to help keep the other woman from falling off completely. "It's late and you need to sleep it off." Anna took a deep, steadying breath, sitting up and gently pushing Elsa off of her. "We'll talk when you're sober."

Apparently, Elsa didn't possess the energy or the ability to argue, instead sliding gracelessly away from Anna, fighting with the duvet while the redhead went to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of aspirin, tapped out two pills, and filled a cup with cool water, taking an extra moment to calm herself down. When she came back to the bedroom, Elsa was curled up on her side, facing the wall.

"Here." Anna waited until Elsa accepted the water, encouraging her to drink the entire glass. Once it was empty, she went back, refilled it, and set it on the nightstand along with aspirin, writing a quick note to accompany them before heading back towards the living room.

"Where are you going?" Elsa called from the bed as she reached the doorway, her voice thick from either the alcohol or from fighting to stay awake, the redhead wasn't sure.

"To sleep on the couch," Anna replied, grabbing the doorknob to close it behind her. "We'll talk about it in the morning."

Just before she shut the door, she heard in perhaps the most heartbreaking voice in the history of the spoken word: "Good night, Sunshine... I love you."

Anna stopped, sighing heavily. She was frustrated, disappointed, hurt, and a million other things, yes... but that didn't diminish what she felt for Elsa. She wasn't exactly _pleased_ with the other woman at the moment but that didn't mean she didn't love her just as much as she did the day before. Love didn't work like that.

Flexing her right hand, Anna stared down at the pearl set in her ring a moment before reaching up to touch to cool metal of her necklace beneath her shirt.

Turning around, Anna went back to the bed and knelt down, gently tapping Elsa's shoulder. When the blonde rolled over, she leaned in and softly kissed her, cupping her cheek tenderly.

"Good night, Snowflake. I love you, too." She kissed Elsa again, her lips curling into a small grin as the blonde gave her a lazy, watery smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

She exited the room after that, leaving the door ajar in case Elsa needed her for anything, and laid down on the couch. It wasn't the most comfortable bed, but it was only for a night.

She stayed up for at least an hour, running her thumb along her ring while her other hand fiddled with her necklace.

They would get through this. Just like everything else, they would overcome this little bump in the road, then look back one day and laugh.

* * *

She slept like shit that night, tossing and turning on the couch. Not because she couldn't get comfortable- though it certainly didn't help- but rather due to worry. It seemed like every hour, she'd get fed up with trying to sleep or wake up from a fitful dream, tiptoe to the bedroom door, peek in to catch a glimpse of her girlfriend, ensure she could hear the steady rhythm of her breathing, and then retreat back to the couch. Rinse and repeat.

She also felt a bit guilty for the self-imposed exile from the bed. It wasn't that she didn't trust Elsa, of course not, but... to some extent, she didn't trust _herself_. Even though something was obviously wrong with the blonde, she'd let herself nearly follow through with whatever Elsa had planned. The last thing she wanted was to take advantage of her beloved girlfriend, or allow her to think she might have. Spending a night on the couch seemed the most practical way to prevent that.

But it was lonely. It had been just over two months since Valentine's Day and over a week since the last time she'd slept alone. She mentally made a note to never do anything that would result in getting sent to the couch for a night. If there was a reason- like they had work the following day or Elsa was going on a trip- then she'd probably be able to handle sleeping alone, but the knowledge that the blonde was a room away and they couldn't be together hurt worse than anything.

Through the blinds, Anna could see the sky begin to lighten as dawn broke. As soon as it was an acceptable hour to do so, she needed to call Kristoff. Or her mom. Someone. Someone who could-

Anna stiffened as she caught a few noises that seemed to echo in the quiet apartment. The shuffling of feet across the carpet and the shift of fabric were the loudest, but she could distinctly hear faint sniffling, almost like...

Almost like Elsa was crying.

Quickly rolling off the couch, the redhead stood up and took a step, her mind foggy in its troubled and sleep deprived state, before noting that the blonde in question was standing just a few feet away, the couch separating them. Elsa was wearing one of Anna's hoodies, fitting her taller girlfriend rather snug, one hand gripping her braid while the other was crossed over her stomach.

They stared at each other for a while as Anna struggled to voice something, anything. She didn't want to come off too harsh, asking if the blonde _needed_ something, but neither did she want to seem apathetic. So, she settled on the only 'safe' question she could think of.

"How are you feeling?"

"Miserable," Elsa replied, voice scratchy. "Lethargic, dehydrated, I've got a headache... and I'm cold."

That was a bold faced lie if there ever was one; Elsa didn't _get_ cold. She wore jackets as a fashion accessory rather than for warmth. She was Anna's Snowflake; the cold _never_ bothered her.

"Did you see my note?" Instead of calling the blonde out- okay, maybe she was still a bit upset- she focused on trying to help, on being a good girlfriend, because starting a fight this early wouldn't do anyone any good.

Elsa nodded, quoting the hastily written missive verbatim. "'Take the pills. Drink the water. On the couch.'"

"I'll get you some more water." Anna turned to finish rounding the couch, heading into the kitchen for a fresh glass. When she came out, Elsa was standing in the same spot as before, concern and fear shining through despite how poorly she felt. "Here. It'll help."

Elsa took the glass hesitantly, clearing her throat before speaking. "If I drink it... will you come to bed?"

The redhead sighed, glancing at the clock. She didn't have work until later and Elsa had the day off. It was still early in the morning. They had time. "I'll go get changed."

Anna made short work of trading her wrinkled work clothes for comfortable sleepwear, sliding into her usual spot as Elsa returned to the bedroom. She waited for the blonde to join her under the covers, feeling her exhaustion acutely as the warmth of the comfortable bed enveloped her, but couldn't quite drift off. Usually, Elsa was the big spoon, with an arm at least wrapped around her waist, but the blonde was keeping her distance this time.

It was almost irritating at this point but that was just her being cranky.

Rolling over, Anna caught her girlfriend with one hand stretched out, though it instantly retreated as Elsa prepared to all but shuffle off the edge of the bed. Reaching out, the redhead caught the hand and pulled it up to her lips, softly kissing the knuckles.

"Jeg elsker deg, Snowflake," Anna said, her words soft as her gaze met misty blue eyes.

"Jeg elsker deg også, Solskinn."

"Come here." Elsa rolled over, allowing herself to be pulled back into Anna's arms. The redhead placed a kiss just below her ear. "We'll get through this." She followed the planes of Elsa's right arm until she could join their hands, pressing their rings against one another. "I promise."

* * *

They managed to catch a few hours of decent sleep before hunger roused them both. Not feeling up to cooking, Anna ordered a pizza while Elsa showered, taking one herself once the stall was free. Though they weren't going out of their way to ignore each other, they hadn't spoken since waking up. Anna was waiting for food, hoping that satisfying her hunger might help her think clearer. Whatever happened the night before required her utmost attention to get through without hurting either of them any worse.

They were halfway through the first pizza when Anna decided to speak. "Do you remember much from last night?"

The slice Elsa was preparing to bite into slowly lowered to her plate, abandoned as the blonde sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her stomach. It wasn't an aggressive posture, more self-conscious, scared. "Pieces. Everything sort of... blurred together. I'm not even sure if all of it was real."

"Can you tell me what happened? What you remember?" Anna abandoned her own food, focusing on Elsa while leaving the question she really wanted answered entirely alone: _can you tell me why?_

But Elsa understood. Her girlfriend was silent for a moment, biting her lip. Finally her shoulders slumped and she raised a hand to brush a few errant locks back behind her ear.

"I saw what happened at the party," she said, her voice soft and eyes trained on her plate. "I looked over and saw you talking with that woman and you were smiling. I thought she was a friend of yours and when I looked back, she-" Elsa shook her head and rubbed at her eyes, as if trying to keep herself calm. "She had her hand on your crotch and... I got jealous."

"Jealous?" Anna internally winced at how severe her tone sounded. That wouldn't make things any easier.

"She touched you like I haven't and it... it hurt. To see that." Elsa's voice was stronger now, fueled by frustration and maybe a little in response to Anna's tone. "I'm your... your _girlfriend_ and I haven't and it hurt because I _should_ have by now. Should've given you everything a long time ago, and yet I held back. I'm still holding back. And for what? So someone else could-" She cut herself off, swallowing a few times before continuing, slightly calmer. "I told Kristoff I'd be back and then I was in front of you and... it was like you didn't even see me... and you've always seen me."

Anna clenched her jaw, clamping down on the urge to reassure Elsa that she misunderstood, that that wasn't what happened, but refrained. She wanted to hear everything the blonde had to say because they obviously _needed_ to talk about this more than the redhead initially thought.

"You were so angry and I didn't know what to do." She couldn't keep two tears back any longer, streaming down her pale cheeks slowly. "You wouldn't talk to me and when you did... you apologized. I didn't know why, what you were apologizing for. You barely even looked at me. I thought you were upset with me. Or... with yourself for... maybe enjoying the contact..."

Anna raised one fist to her mouth, biting into her knuckle as she mentally kicked herself. Okay, putting this conversation off was a _really_ bad idea. A lot of this pain could've probably been avoided.

"I went to work yesterday but my head wasn't in it. You said you wanted to talk but... I didn't know what about. And then I remembered that woman..." Elsa shrugged sinking back into her seat. "I thought if I could do what she did- if I could give you what you needed- then I wouldn't lose you. So I told my manager I was having personal issues and he let me go early. I didn't know who else to turn to for advice, so I stopped by your apartment looking for Kristoff."

"He was at class." Anna clicked her mouth shut. She needed to listen, not interject.

Elsa nodded anyway. "I... saw the bottle on the coffee table." She glanced at the empty Jack Daniels bottle, still sitting where it had since the night before, ignored by both of them until that moment. "There wasn't much left. I figured a shot or two to loosen up would help... but I started when I got back thinking you didn't have work. Then I remembered you worked, so I thought I would just keep my, um, buzz going. Then the bottle was empty and you had the late shift, so I opened the wine bottle." Elsa sniffled, eyes darting back and forth, brow furrowed in concentration. "You came home and... I was in your lap... you told me to stop. You told me you loved me." She paused, silent until she finally shook her head. "Then you left. That's all I remember."

"Okay. Okay." Anna nodded slowly, fitting Elsa's version of the events alongside her own recollections. "Okay."

"Could you please say something else?" The blonde snapped, instantly sighing and opening her mouth to apologize but Anna beat her to the punch.

"Can we move to the couch, please?" She actually found a small smile work its way to her lips at the blonde's confused expression. After they'd moved- the food long forgotten- and settled on the couch side-by-side for a change, Anna took a deep breath and started filling in the gaps. "Starting from the beginning, that woman I was talking to, the one you saw? I have _no idea_ who she is."

Elsa nodded, gaze drifting somewhere between the floor and the coffee table as she sat ram rod straight beside the redhead.

"Next... Snowflake, the way she touched me was painful and _really_ unwanted." Anna had Elsa's full attention at that, shock registering first before the barest hints of anger. "That's part of why I was so upset. I mean, she was _really_ rough and I'm pretty sensitive, plus I had already told her no." She sighed, dropping her gaze down to the space between them. It seemed too far to cross at that moment, despite how badly she wanted to do so. "I know I should've said something to you but... I was also upset because... well, she said she didn't mind fucking a freak, and-"

"She said _what_?" Anna flinched at Elsa's tone, looking up to meet the blonde's gaze only to draw back slightly in surprise.

This... this was new.

And this was scary.

Elsa was _pissed_.

Like, beyond livid, beyond angry, beyond anything the redhead had ever seen and it was more than a little terrifying. Her brows were drawn in a severe scowl, eyes glinting like the hardest sapphire, and mouth set in a thin line.

Anna shrunk back. She wasn't prepared for this.

"I-I'm sorry, Elsa-"

" _You're_ sorry? No, you have nothing to be sorry for. _That woman_ will be sorry when I get my hands on her." The blonde seethed, practically growling out the words. "Are you sure you don't recognize her from somewhere? No, it doesn't matter, Eugene must know her from somewhere. I'll turn this city upside-down if I have to; no one is ever going to insult you like that again and get away with it!"

"O-okay!" She squeaked out, garnering Elsa's attention.

Suddenly, her girlfriend was almost back to normal, brows knit together in concern as she reached out and coaxed Anna into her arms, holding her close and rubbing her back in a soothing gesture. She could still feel the blonde's barely contained anger, so much like what had consumed Anna initially. "I'm so sorry, Sunshine. I... I had no idea. I'm sorry."

Although wary, Anna relaxed slightly. "It's not your fault. It's just a misunderstanding."

Elsa pressed her lips to Anna's temple. "I'll admit, my apology was not for my actions last night- though I am sorry for... a lot of that." She cleared her throat, some of the anger creeping back into her voice. "What I mean to say is- I'm sorry you endured that. I'm sorry I didn't help, didn't stop her, didn't hold her accountable for hurting and upsetting you."

"You didn't know. You can't blame yourself for that."

"I certainly didn't make things easier." She noted glumly.

Anna leaned into Elsa's embrace, a small smile playing over her lips. "I think we share the blame there. Like I was saying, I was so upset about what she said and did, I couldn't really... talk about it yet. I never meant for you to think I was upset with _you_. Granted, you shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, especially when I keep telling you I don't care about sex-"

She drew back when she felt Elsa stiffen, the blonde eyeing her dubiously. "Sunshine, I understand what you're trying to say, but please stop downplaying it. You want me. It's not _just_ your body's physiological reaction; you _want_ to have sex with me."

"Well... yeah." Anna awkwardly admitted, some voice in the back of her head pointing out how this was probably an atypical argument for most couples. "But if I have to choose between love and sex, I'll choose your love every time." Anna continued, feeling her stubborn streak rear its head. They were getting way off topic but the redhead wanted to drive the point home. "I don't want to be with you for your body, Elsa. Yes, I appreciate you, but I love you and want to be with you because you're my story-teller, my Snowflake, not because you're drop dead gorgeous."

"Flattery aside, don't you see that's the problem?" The blonde's features softened, raising a hand to gently cup Anna's cheek. "You shouldn't have to choose. I love you, Anna, and I _should_ be capable of giving you everything, being there for you in every way. But I haven't-"

"Bullshit." There was little bite to the word as it left Anna's lips. It was hard for her to sound even a little cross when she was leaning into the blonde's touch. "You've been there for me in ways I can't even put into words because I'm not as good with them as you are." She put her own hand over Elsa's, gently stroking over the blonde's skin with her thumb. "Sex and love _are not_ the same thing and you _can_ have one without the other."

"But you deserve both; you deserve everything!" Elsa sighed, tapping a kiss to her lips before pulling her close, running her hands through Anna's hair. "I want to give you everything, the world- the sun, the moon, the sky, all of it!"

"I already have all that," she replied, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and squeezing her tight. " _You_ are my world, Snowflake. My sun, my moon, _and_ my sky. What else could I possibly want?"

The blonde groaned, though she sounded more amused than genuinely annoyed. "Considering I'm the one who supposedly has a 'way with words', you're certainly making this difficult."

"You like that I'm stubborn, remember?" Anna playfully accused, allowing a comfortable silence to grow for a few moments while she battled with bringing up the subject again. They hadn't really settled anything regarding the topic of sex but she honestly wasn't as concerned about it as her beloved girlfriend. Okay, that wasn't entirely true. "Snowflake... there's something else about last night."

Elsa shifted, indicating she was listening but opted to stay silent.

"I just... I'm bringing it up because I don't... well..." She huffed, unable to figure out the best way to word her concern. So, she went with being blunt. "Did you really drink because you were nervous... or did you drink so you wouldn't remember... being with me?"

There was a pause, a hitch in the blonde's breathing that Anna heard but couldn't bring herself to glance up and meet Elsa's gaze for fear of what she might find. In her head, she was reassuring herself that it was okay, whichever way her girlfriend answered, she would do her best to not get upset. Then, a gentle grasp on her chin forced her to look up, and she looked into Elsa's sad eyes.

"Is that what I made you think?" She could see the tears forming as she hesitantly nodded. She hadn't asked to upset the blonde; she just... she _needed_ to hear the answer, whatever it might be. "Sunshine, I'm not ashamed of you. I'm not ashamed of who you are, what you do, how you act, or of any part of you, physical or otherwise." Elsa blinked, a tear escaping that Anna quickly brushed away with her thumb. "I was scared that I wouldn't... do well, wouldn't be able to satisfy you. That after making you wait, I wouldn't be... worth it."

"How could you _not_ be?" Anna quirked her lips up into a reassuring smile. "Every moment with you has been worth it- will continue being worth it- just to see you smile or hear you laugh. To hold you in my arms. You're worth _every second_ of my time and _every ounce_ of energy I possess, Snowflake."

A moment passed before Elsa grinned ever so slightly. "The latter quantity is higher than the former, you know."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Yes, tease me while I'm trying to reassure you, because that's fair."

Earning a small chuckle, Anna leaned forward, stealing a kiss as she coaxed Elsa into laying down on the couch. She was still tired from the past few days and figured a nap wouldn't hurt, completely forgetting about the pizza and dishes and anything that wasn't snuggling into her girlfriend's embrace.

"Sunshine," the blonde said, running her hands along Anna's back. "We didn't really... come to a conclusion about sex."

"Do we have to, right now?"

"I'd prefer if we did."

Anna sighed, propping herself up on her elbows and meeting those beautiful blue eyes, changing tactics in hopes of setting her girlfriend at ease. "Alright, the way I see it, sex is like a side quest in one of your video games. It's not required and the main story- the part that matters most- is how we feel about each other and the relationship we build together. Yeah, sure, sex can maybe be an expression of that love, but that's only if we don't force it."

Elsa was giving her a look that clearly spoke of her amusement with Anna's analogy, though there was still doubt lingering in her expression. So, she tried a different approach.

"Snowflake, we've already established that I want you. Last night, you were practically half naked, in my lap, and trying to take my clothes off. I obviously didn't stop you because I don't want to make love to you in every conceivable way." She raised a brow, relieved when the action garnered a small chuckle from the blonde. "I didn't want you making a mistake; I didn't want to be one of your regrets; I don't want to rush something _this_ important."

"You'll never be a mistake, Sunshine, nor a regret," Elsa said softly.

"Then let's just... let it happen, whenever. If that means next month, that's okay, if that means in twenty years, that's fine, too." She leaned down to press a chaste kiss against Elsa's lips. "There's no time limit on this and I'm not willing to jeopardize what we have for the sake of physical gratification."

Elsa was quiet for a moment. "You'd really wait twenty years for sex?"

"Yeah, why not?" She smirked. "I mean, I waited about that long to meet you and you're the best thing to ever happen to me! From where I'm standing, waiting for something with you by my side is a hundred times better than without."

"And here I thought all Americans viewed sex as the ultimate expression of love," Elsa said, softly enough it could almost be considered an aside to herself.

Anna pursed her lips. "I can't tell if you're teasing me or being sincere."

"A little of both." Elsa admitted, drawing Anna back down and wrapping her arms around her. "I'll try not to keep you waiting, Sunshine. I'd rather not start having children in my forties."

Anna chuckled, pressing a kiss just behind Elsa's ear. "You'll make a wonderful mother, Snowflake."

"You will too, Sunshine." Elsa brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead.

Smiling, Anna drifted asleep listening to Elsa's steady breathing and imagining a mini version of the blonde learning how to ice skate, one tiny hand in Elsa's while Anna held the other. She'd hardly entertained the idea of romance throughout her adult life. Having a family of her own? Not a chance!

But... it certainly was a pleasant dream to surrender to at the end of a rough day.


	2. Friends and Foes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Still don't own anything.
> 
> Formatting note: Italics in this chapter and going forward will either denote lines sung in English or lines spoken in Norwegian, as indicated. Be advised, though, that the lines are being 'translated' into English by Anna- since it's in her POV- so, to some extent, she's guessing or clueless as to how certain words are translated and doing her best to keep up. Not super important; just thought I'd share. There are some instances of Anna speaking in untranslated Norwegian; for the lullz.

Two days later, Anna got a call from Rapunzel, who seemed equal parts amused and concerned during their conversation.

Apparently, Eugene had locked himself in a closet and refused to come out due to the 'unrelenting, white-hot, pants-pissing fury' of a certain blonde. Elsa, apparently, had meant it quite literally when she said she would turn the city upside down, and quite adamantly refused to back down on the issue. Although most topics brought up during their first real fight were dropped, her girlfriend refused to let the words and actions of the mystery woman go, and Anna eventually accepted that on the condition that the blonde apologize for terrifying Eugene.

Anna and Rapunzel had to personally oversee Elsa's apology and the truce meal that followed, which actually counted as their first double date as well, though Anna wished it was under better circumstances.

In the end, Anna had to admit her outlook on the situation was very similar to Rapunzel's.

Elsa and Eugene then settled into a... well, Anna wasn't sure what to call their relationship after that. Frenemies seemed too juvenile but was probably most accurate; when the two weren't hurling insults at the other, they were doing their best to show the other up. Eugene admitted he needed to reclaim his 'man card' after the closet fiasco and that calling out the blonde at every turn would accomplish that. Elsa merely stated that she would keep their strange rivalry going until he was able to answer her questions.

Anna and Rapunzel eventually agreed that their respective significant others were entitled to their bouts of childishness and allowed the 'hostilities' to continue, provided they never turned violent.

Meanwhile, Kristoff- who, like Eugene and Rapunzel, was only vaguely aware of _why_ Elsa was so adamant on finding this woman- laughed himself hoarse over the whole ordeal.

* * *

Their trip to The Netherlands was right around the corner and Anna was freaking out just a tad bit.

Okay, a fair bit.

A lot.

"Would you speak English, woman?" Eugene groused from the couch, groaning as Kristoff scored another goal against him in NHL. "I can't concentrate on your gibberish _and_ playing the game!"

"Seems like a personal problem," Elsa replied for her, nursing her soda from the floor beside Rapunzel. The women had yet to take their turns and Anna was already feeling sorry for the boys whenever they switched over to Super Smash Brothers after Eugene's inevitable rage quit of NHL. Elsa turned towards Rapunzel, a small smirk on her lips. "Does he often find it difficult to concentrate when faced with more than one task? Or is he using that as an excuse to cover his lack of gaming skills?"

"Oh, it is _so_ on, you Scandinavian fish wife!"

"I highly doubt it, you inbred American redneck."

"Hey, I'm not a redneck!"

"So, you _are_ inbred."

"Anna! Control your wo- oh, for fuck's sake!" Eugene stomped his foot as the period ended with another goal against him, setting the score at seven to two in favor of Kristoff. "This game is rigged!"

Anna rolled her eyes, shedding her coat and hanging it up before entering the living room, stooping down to place a kiss on Elsa's lips before heading back towards her bedroom to change. As soon as she'd opened the door, Anna had greeted the group in Norwegian, which caused the whole scene to unfold.

For some reason, while her secondary language skills were improving by leaps and bounds, she couldn't get the hang of switching between them as easily as Elsa did. Seeing as the drive back to her and Kris' apartment was spent listening to a Norwegian soundtrack, of course those would be the first words out of her mouth.

"Kjæreste?" Anna turned, noticing that Elsa had abandoned her verbal battle with Eugene in favor of following her back to her bedroom. It was a little funny, now that Anna thought about it; they hadn't spent much time in Anna's room or apartment over the past few months. It was almost like going to her old room at her parents' house, something that was instantly recognizable as hers but... not really, not anymore. "Is everything alright?"

"Ja, jeg er bra," the redhead replied, frowning slightly. This was exactly it; while Elsa could pepper words from half a dozen languages into her speech without a problem, Anna kept getting stuck in one mode or the other. "I mean, yeah, I'm fine."

Elsa smiled, stepping forward and undoing her tie. "You're letting your nerves get the better of you, Sunshine, and there's no reason for it."

"Not true." Anna bit her lip, sighing as her tie was slipped from around her neck. She sat down heavily on her bed, scrubbing at her eyes. "I _really_ need to impress your parents, Snowflake. I've got a lot of work to do." She furrowed her brows, trying to switch gears again. "Jeg vil at de skal se at jeg er verdig deg."

"That's not their decision to make," Elsa replied in a patient tone, taking the spot next to her and pulling the redhead into a fierce hug. " _I_ decide who is and is not worthy of my love, and you've already proven yourself to _me_ time and time again."

"De er dine foreldre-"

"And they'll be my parents no matter what." The blonde drew back, fixing her with a soft smile. "I believe it was _you_ who told me that 'those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter', Sunshine, so, either they won't mind, or they won't matter."

"Men-"

"No buts. You're not getting rid of me that easily." Elsa smirked. "I believe those were your words, too, and I intend to hold you to them."

"Ikke rettferdig." Anna grumbled, tipping her head until she could rest her forehead on Elsa's shoulder.

"All's fair in love and war," her girlfriend replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "And I'm just reminding you of what you already know."

Anna sighed, a small smile coming to her lips. "Jeg elsker deg, Snøfnugg."

"Jeg elsker deg også, Solskinn."

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Elsa's hands running soothing patterns along her back while the redhead dropped the Norwegian, switching back to English. "I'm sorry."

Elsa chuckled. "Don't be, Sunshine, and don't stress yourself out over this either."

A knock startled them, drawing their attention to the doorway as Eugene poked his head in, favoring Elsa with a petulant glare before directing his attention towards Anna.

"So, we're thinking of having a party next week, to celebrate our last chance at good ol' college fun before the dreaded cramming for finals hits." He waved a hand in Elsa's general direction. "You may want to confer with your dungeon master before giving a yea or nay." He almost ducked back out of the room but paused, sincerity flashing in his eyes. "And I promise we'll be more selective when it comes to the guest list this time."

As Eugene left, Anna sighed and nuzzled into her girlfriend's embrace, waiting for-

"Do you want to go?"

-that.

"Maybe," she mumbled in reply. "Knowing Eugene, there'll be a party after finals too. I'd rather not do both." She cracked a grin. "I can only take so much excitement."

In truth, she was mildly concerned about becoming an alcoholic; it had occurred to her more than once throughout the day that a stiff drink might settle her nerves and her friends were nothing if not encouraging in that regard. Part of the reason she volunteered for the designated driver position more often than not.

"I'd like to go, too." She tilted her head, catching sight of Elsa's smile and glittering eyes. "Your friends are wonderful people and very... animated. I'd like another chance to enjoy their company."

Anna smiled, leaning forward to tap a few kisses to her girlfriend's lips. "Then I suppose it's settled. We'll have to look at our schedules, see if we even have the time off."

Elsa nodded, pressing another kiss to her cheek before heading back to the living room. "I'm sure we'll find a way. Come out when you're done changing." She paused at the doorway, throwing a grin over her shoulder. "I'd rather curl up with you than beat Eugene at Smash Brothers. Again."

Anna smiled and sat down on the bed, slowly unbuttoning her shirt as she tried to accept Elsa's reassurances. Maybe she was working herself up a tad bit, but she really did want to impress the blonde's parents. Whether her girlfriend wanted to admit it or not, losing her parents would take a toll on her emotionally, and Anna really couldn't bear to the be the cause of such suffering for Elsa. Not after all they'd been through.

Shaking her head, she resolved to listen to her mother's advice- because of course she'd ask the love experts rather than take a stab in the dark, given the consequences- and simply be the best girlfriend she could be.

Which meant getting her butt in gear and back out into the living room before another war began; she could already hear the telltale grousing from Eugene echoing down the hall mingled with distinctly feminine laughter interspersed.

By some stroke of luck, it was Eugene _and_ Kristoff cursing. The four had defaulted to Super Smash Bros- guys against gals- and the women were _destroying_ them.

"'Punz, I swear, if you take a dive _right now_ , I'll do whatever you say for the next week." Eugene huffed, down to his last life while Kristoff had only two remaining, compared to Elsa's and Rapunzel's four each. "Chores, homework, sexy times- you name it, your wish is my command!."

"Yes, sell yourself in order to secure a victory, I'd expect no less from such a chivalrous gentleman such as you." Elsa drawled, momentarily distracted once Anna reappeared, though it didn't give either of her opponents enough of an opening to do significant damage. "Welcome back, Sunshine."

Anna smirked, summoning her Norwegian again as she leaned against the back of the couch and draped her arms over Elsa's shoulders, taking care to keep her voice loud enough for the others to hear. " _Would you like to play a trick on them?_ "

" _What kind of trick?_ " The blonde grinned, replying in Norwegian as well, much to the annoyance of Eugene.

"There you two go with that gibberish again."

"Focus on the game, Eugene; they're still winning."

" _Pretend I'm saying something sexy._ " Anna spoke a bit softer, allowing a her voice to take on a slightly husky tone. " _Make them think I'm tempting you._ "

" _You mean, like you usually do?_ " Elsa chuckled but hummed in delight as Anna started peppering her neck with soft kisses. " _How is this tricking them, exactly?_ "

"Quick, while she's distracted, smash her!" Eugene whispered loudly.

"I'm trying!" Kristoff grumbled, both of their characters trying to take out Elsa's while Rapunzel just hung out on the far side of the stage.

Anna furrowed her brows briefly. She couldn't quite remember how to say 'false sense of security' or something along those lines, so opted for what she could convey. " _Let them think they can win, then make them lose. Pretend we made a deal._ "

Elsa stopped playing, paying no heed as the guys capitalized on the opportunity and cheered, her attention focused on Anna. "Really?"

The redhead smiled, noting the switch back to English. "Really really."

With determination glinting in her eyes, Elsa refocused on the screen just as her character respawned. Their little distraction had cost Elsa two of her remaining lives but, given Kristoff had lost one at some point as well, the battle was surprisingly even.

Well, for a moment.

"Oh, come on!" Eugene whined as Elsa began playing again in earnest.

Less than a minute later, the game was over, Elsa knocking both of her opponents clear off the screen to secure the victory.

"Girls win!" Rapunzel chirped, throwing a smirk at her boyfriend. "So, does that week start today or tomorrow morning?" Before Eugene could protest, she held up a finger to silence him. "You promised me a week if I took a dive and I stopped playing. Elsa beat you two on her own, so I'm holding you to it, Mister."

"She's right." Kristoff added, a smirk on his lips as he turned his attention to Elsa. "And I assume Anna promised you something for beating us?" He suddenly frowned. "Does it involve me leaving the apartment for a few hours?"

"You can leave if you want; I truly don't care." Elsa got up, walking around until she could wrap her arms around Anna, holding her close. "Now, I believe someone promised me a song." The redhead narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend, though she found it impossible to not return the embrace. "You said you'd sing for me if I finished the match in under a minute."

She so very badly wanted to shoot the blonde a look that conveyed 'I said no such thing' but found the pleading in those beautiful blue eyes too much to protest. With that thought, a song lodged itself in her head, so she started humming the tune much to Elsa's delight.

" _I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream._ " Anna moved from holding her girlfriend to the start position for a simple waltz, something Elsa had shown her a few months back after she admitted to not knowing how to dance. " _I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam._ "

For her part, Elsa had started humming the tune once Anna had started singing, allowing herself to be swept up in the moment as the shorter of the two lead the dance.

" _And I know it's true, that visions are seldom what they seem._ " By some miracle, she was actually doing pretty well on the dancing front. She hadn't tripped, despite keeping her gaze fixated on the woman in her arms. " _But if I know you, I know what you'll do, you'll love me at once, the way your did once, upon a dream._ " Anna smiled as Elsa picked up the melody, leading the blonde into a spin that allowed her to step forward, pressing against her girlfriend's back with her chin resting on one shoulder.

Elsa tilted her head slightly so their heads were touching, singing the next verse while Anna hummed the melody. " _But if I know you, I know what you'll do, you'll love me at once, the way you did once, upon a dream._ " __  
  
They hummed softly, swaying gently and launching into the last verse together.  
__  
"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. And I know it's true, that visions are seldom what they seem. But if I know you, I know what you'll do, you'll love me at once, the way you did once, upon a dream."

Anna placed a kiss just beneath Elsa's ear before nearly jumping out of her skin, startled by the sound of clapping. She'd totally forgotten about their audience.

Rapunzel was smiling widely, Eugene begrudgingly clapping along with his girlfriend while Kristoff gave them a wry grin.

"I suddenly wish I wasn't single," he said, getting off the couch and heading towards the kitchen. Anna watched him with a small frown, slightly concerned for her best friend.

"I suddenly wish I was a lesbian." Rapunzel joked.

"See, I've always been one."

"Eugene!"

"Snowflake? Think you could loosen up a bit?" Elsa lightly wheezed, calling the redhead's attention to how tightly she'd squeezed her girlfriend as a result. She immediately loosened her hold, mumbling an apology into her neck. Elsa chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple and lightly trailing her fingers along Anna's arms still around her waist. "Thank you, Kjæreste."

"Noe til deg, lys av min liv," she replied, flashing her friends a smile as Elsa ducked her head to hide the blush creeping into her cheeks. She didn't expect 'light of my life' to elicit that reaction but it was definitely worth learning.

* * *

Anna smiled, cracking open a bottle of water as the party got in full swing. It was slightly smaller than usual as far as Eugene's parties went but no less animated for the lack of people. Elsa was once again teamed up with Kristoff playing Beer Pong, though she was a bit more reluctant to drink on her partner's behalf. Anna had a sneaking suspicion her girlfriend was trying to avoid attaining any level of intoxication. In fact, Elsa hadn't even bought a bottle of wine to replace the one she'd drank.

She was beginning to think the blonde was taking her self imposed sobriety a bit too far. Anna actually wouldn't mind an opportunity to hang out with a mildly intoxicated Elsa. Though, she wasn't sure if she'd prefer that experience in the comfort of the blonde's apartment or at a party. She supposed it would depend on her level of self restraint.

"Hey, Feisty Pants. Why're you hanging out on the sidelines?" Anna turned, favoring Eugene with a smile. "Shouldn't you be playing Pong alongside your Ice Queen?"

She rolled her eyes, though glad he'd at least taken her warning to heart. Although she still found their rivalry childish, Anna drew the line at allowing Eugene to refer to her girlfriend as 'Frigid Bitch'. "I'm DD tonight, and while I appreciate the offer, we're not sleeping in one of your extra rooms."

"What? Scared someone might try to sneak a peek at the HLS?" He grinned, laughing when she shoved him playfully.

"You're such a lecher. I honestly don't know how Rapunzel puts up with you."

"It's the smolder; chicks _always_ dig the smolder." They laughed, stopping only when Kristoff appeared in front of them, the utter horror on his face putting a stop to their amusement. "Dude, you okay?"

Anna immediately looked around. "Where's Elsa?"

Kristoff raised his arm, pointing off towards the front of the house. Anna and Eugene followed his indication, all the way to where Elsa was standing with her back to them and facing a woman who had just entered the house. Given the look of abject terror on the woman's face, Anna had a pretty good idea what she was facing. It almost motivated her to feel a little bit of pity for her.

"Wonder what Vanessa's doing here." Eugene mused, shrugging. "Don't see what Ice Queen's interest in her is."

"That's the woman who, uh..." Anna ducked her head, fingering one of her braids subconsciously. Eugene had to be at least somewhat aware of what transpired last time but she had only told Kristoff in passing. The specifics of it though, she wasn't sure.

"Wait. _Vanessa_ was the reason..." Eugene's jaw dropped open a moment before he furrowed his brows and started marching towards the front of the house, shoving the beer he'd been holding into Kristoff's chest.

"I'm not really sure what's going on," Kristoff said, shaking his head slightly. "But damn, Feisty Pants, your girlfriend's _scary_ when she's angry."

"Yeah. Yeah, she is." Anna sighed, following Eugene and hoping she wouldn't have to break up a fight.

The tension was thick as most of the partiers started drifting away from the women when the confrontation initiated, making their full escapes once the host appeared, standing beside Elsa and crossing his arms.

Anna arrived just in time to catch the tail end of Vanessa's apology. "S-sorry, I just- I wasn't thinking straight that night-"

"Enough." It was a single word but Elsa's tone was more that enough to demand utter silence. Come to think of it, someone had even turned the music off. Vanessa hunched her shoulders, terrified, as the blonde continued. "I _should_ have you arrested and charged with sexual assault. Drunk or not, what you did was _deplorable_ , and you should be held accountable for your actions. In fact..." Elsa pulled her phone from her back pocket. "It's not too late-"

" _Elsa_." Anna stepped forward, around Eugene until she was in front of the blonde, acting as a buffer between her girlfriend and Vanessa. "Stop."

For a moment, she could very easily see the familial resemblance between Elsa and her father- the set of their jaws, the glint in their eyes, that innate ability to look so threatening without even doing anything. Perhaps 'Ice Queen' was a bit more apt a title than she initially though, if only for the latter half.

"I know you're just trying to protect me." Anna moved closer, embracing her girlfriend and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "But I'm asking you to let it go. Let's put this whole incident behind us." She turned her head, looking at Vanessa over her shoulder. "I believe her when she says she's sorry."

"I am, I swear." Vanessa instantly voiced, apparently more than grateful for Anna's intervention. "I get stupid when I have too much, but I'll stop, I swear, from now on, n-no more."

"See?" The redhead buried her face in Elsa's neck, smiling slightly as she felt her girlfriend return the embrace. "Please, Snowflake."

"Alright," Elsa said, her voice soft. She tightened her hold on Anna, raising her voice and obviously talking to Vanessa. "Because _she_ forgives you, I won't call the police. But if I find out that you so much as _breathed_ on anyone without their consent, I _will_ make you regret it." Her tone was firm, laced with venom in a way Anna couldn't even imagine ever hearing from her girlfriend. And then, the venom doubled. "And if you _ever_ call her a 'freak' again, I'll _bury_ you in red tape and drop you into such a deep financial hole, not even the economic strength of Qatar and Luxembourg _combined_ will be able to bail you out."

"And believe me, she won't be the only one watching and listening." Eugene added, a stark departure from Elsa's cool tone, though no less forceful. "I get that Anna's forgiven you and I respect that... but that doesn't wipe your slate clean with the rest of us." With her head still buried in Elsa's neck, the redhead couldn't see who all was paying heed to the scene, but given the chorus of grunts, she had to assume their audience had grown considerably in the past few minutes. "While you're under my roof, you're on your best behavior. When you're _not_ under my roof, you're on your even better behavior. Or else. Got it?"

"Y-yes, I understand."

"Good," Eugene said. "Now... back to the party everyone!"

As the world around them filled with the sounds of typical college fun, Anna focused on feeling Elsa's heartbeat. Her girlfriend was still tense, still primed to do... something, but slowly relaxed as time wore on.

"She left?"

"Someone invited her to play a round of Beer Pong," Elsa replied, her voice barely audible. "She accepted provided he would drink all the cups."

Anna pulled far enough away to flash a smile at her girlfriend. "Thank you, Snowflake. For sticking up for me."

Elsa pressed her lips to Anna's forehead. "I should've done that the first time."

"Shush." She smiled, a weight lifting from her chest. "I want to move forward from this, okay?"

"The past is in the past." The blonde sighed, gently brushing one of her plaits back over her shoulder. "As you wish, Sunshine." She frowned. "But I meant what I said. If she _ever_ pulls a stunt like that again-"

"You'll do what you feel is right. I understand. But I'm willing to give her a second chance."

That brought a smile to her girlfriend's lips. "What did I ever do so right to earn the love of such a kind heart?"

"You gave me a chance to earn yours," Anna replied, swooping in for another kiss and laughing as she pulled away. A tap on her shoulder prompted her to look and find her best friend standing by, a grin on his lips. "What's up, Kris?"

"Mind if I cut in for a minute? I mean, not trying to ruin the lovey-dovey moment here..."

"It's fine. I'll be right back, Snowflake." Anna stepped away, only to be pulled into one heck of a bear hug the moment later. "Kris, what are you-"

"You said someone got too close to you and it made you uncomfortable." He started off softly but ended with a growl. "You didn't say you were _sexually assaulted_ or that she dropped the _'F' bomb_ on you!"

"Sorry, Kris, I-"

"Feisty Pants, you don't need to explain. I get it." He pulled back, frowning at her. "But next time, talk to me, okay? I know you have Elsa now and things aren't going to be like they were but you shouldn't bottle things like that up."

"Kris, you're still my best friend. Not telling you had _nothing_ to do with Elsa." She fixed him with a frown of her own. "It had _everything_ to do with the over-protective big brother routine that you pull whenever someone drops 'the 'F' bomb', as you put it."

"I do not- okay, nevermind, I totally do, but it's because I care!"

"I know." She smiled, hugging him. "If something like this ever happens again, there's a lot I'll do differently."

"For your sake, I really hope that never happens."

"Me too." Anna leaned around him, grabbing his arm and dragging him towards Elsa. "Now that that's over, let's bury the hatchet completely."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Elsa raised a brow, allowing herself to be pulled along with Kristoff towards the Beer Pong table as yet another game finished.

"Simple; you two play the next game. Best two out of three!" Anna beamed, waiting a moment for Kristoff and Elsa to notice their opponents. She didn't know the guy's name, but it was his partner- Vanessa- that drew their attention, and she merely smiled wider at their curious glances. "Just remember, good sportsmanship you guys. I'll be watching."

"Uh, I dunno if I can last one more game, let alone three," the man said, backing away warily.

"Open spot's mine, then." Eugene sidled up next to Vanessa, flashing her a smile. "But you're pulling your weight on cup duty."

"O-okay." Vanessa nervously nodded. "Not sure if I'll last all three rounds, though."

"You won't learn your limit otherwise," Elsa said, her tone a bit cold. A quick look from Anna encouraged her to offer the woman a small, tight smile. "Just let us know if you want to stop."

Anna leaned back against the wall as the cups were set up, Rapunzel joining her after a few moments.

"Leave it to Eugene to always host an interesting party, right?" Anna laughed, nodding while Rapunzel shot her a wicked smile. "Wanna mess with them a bit?"

"Absolutely."

Rapunzel stepped forward, declaring 'House Rule #27' and encouraging Anna to help her swat the pong ball back towards the shooter's side. Apparently, if they managed to sink a ball that way, _both_ sides lost and Anna and Rapunzel would be declared 'Queens of the House' so they could make up a new house rule to add to Eugene's growing list.

In actuality, it just added a ridiculous amount of time to each game, keeping all the players from over-indulging. It did give the whole lot of them pretty severe stitches in their sides from laughing, though, and more than one red mark each from getting hit by one of the ping pong balls.

By the time Anna drove the two of them home, the redhead was certain the storm had passed completely. She just hoped meeting Elsa's parents went as smoothly.

* * *

Anna sighed, shutting her suitcase and zipping it, trying to shake the nerves that were slowly working their way under her skin. There was nothing to worry about; Elsa had told her as much several times already.

Okay, she was going to meet a significant other's parents for the first time, ever. So what? Said parents were perhaps some of the richest and most financially influential people on the face of the planet. So what? Said influential parents lived in another country, spoke another language, spoke multiple languages, were raised with different values, different manners, and she needed to make a good impression on them... by being... her.

Okay, yeah, this train of thought wasn't helping her nerves any.

"Sunshine?" Elsa's voice drifted into her room from down the hall. "Are you ready?"

"Almost!" Anna threw over her shoulder, smoothing her hands against her pants leg, trying to dry them. Her palms were abnormally sweaty. "Just, uh, finishing up!"

Considering she'd just packed her suitcase for the fifth time, that was _mostly_ true.

"Why am I freaking out about this? I can't be freaking out about this." She ran a hand through her hair, out of her usual twin plaits. The style was too childish, way too childish to be meeting the CEO of IKEA. "Get it together." She bit her lip, turning and nearly jumping out of her skin when she noticed Elsa leaning against the doorway. "Oh, hey, Snowflake! Uh, r-ready to go?"

"Almost," the blonde replied with a gentle smile, heading over to the redhead's vanity and picking up a brush. "Come here."

Anna shuffled over, trying to stuff her nerves into a tiny box and bury it at the back of her mind. It certainly wouldn't do her any good and became considerably easier once Elsa started running the brush through her hair. She allowed her eyes to close, enjoying the pampering, but snapped her gaze to the mirror a few moments later.

"Shush." Elsa shot her a look, dividing her hair and braiding it back into Anna's usual twin plaits. "For the first time in my life, I'm taking someone to meet my parents. I want to introduce to them the woman who holds my heart so completely and so tenderly." She finished with one and moved to Anna's other side, speaking softly as she worked. "I want them to see the same beautiful individual I get to- adorable freckles, brilliant smile, cute braids, and all." She pressed a kiss to Anna's temple as she finished. "You don't need to change a thing to impress them, Sunshine."

"Do you really think they'll like me, Snowflake?" The redhead frowned, fingering one of her braids. The combination of her girlfriend's soft touch and the familiarity brought her some solace but it was still difficult to take herself seriously, never mind expect a CEO to do the same.

"Sunshine, they'll love you. Not as much as I do, of course, but they'll try." Elsa walked over to the bed, grabbing the handle of Anna's suitcase. "So, ready to go? I'm sure Kristoff's getting impatient."

"He's probably happy for the delay." Anna laughed, shaking her head slightly and taking the bag from the blonde, heading towards the door.

"He did seem a bit... emotional."

"Yeah, he'll probably cry at the terminal. Hey, don't judge; he's going to miss us." She slipped her hand into Elsa's and squeezed. "This also leaves him at the mercy of Eugene and the crew for a solid month."

"A fate worse than death, I'm sure." Elsa's lips quirk up is a wry grin. "We'll find a way to make it up to him."

The two women left the small apartment, hopping into Elsa's beat up truck that Kristoff is driving. Seeing as he didn't have a vehicle of his own and they'd be out of the country for a while, Elsa had left an extra set of keys to both her vehicles, the truck to use for transportation and the Jetta to check up on, just in case. At the blonde's insistence, Anna had left her Mini's keys behind as well.

At the airport, Kristoff pulled Anna into a crushing hug. "Be safe over there, okay?"

"I will, promise!" The redhead wheezed, laughing as he loosened his hold. "But you be careful too, okay? I don't want to come back to America and find out you got arrested playing along with one of Eugene's stupid schemes. Again."

"There's a difference between 'arrested' and 'detained' I think you should learn," he replied, scrubbing at his eyes quickly. "Look, just... call me if you want, okay? Doesn't matter what time, with classes out for the summer and all, so really, you can wake me up or whatever, it doesn't matter." He sighed, offering her a watery smile. "Take care of yourself, Feisty Pants. And Elsa."

"I will, you worry wort." She gave him another quick hug before pulling away, starting for the terminal, following Elsa's lead. "Don't burn the apartment down while I'm gone!"

Kristoff laughed, watching them go until they disappeared into the terminal. Anna's nerves were still rather touchy as they went through security. She'd actually never flown before, much less over an ocean. By the time they made it to their gate, her eyes were practically glued to the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching massive airplanes taxi along the runway.

"It's going to be okay, Sunshine." Elsa's voice was soft in her ear. "I'm right beside you and I've flown plenty of times. We'll be fine."

Anna turned her attention to her girlfriend, heaving a sigh of relief. "Yeah. Yeah, we will."

* * *

Anna wasn't exactly sure what sort of welcome she was expecting.

This was not it, though.

Flying into Amsterdam was an interesting experience in and of itself- Anna was suddenly bombarded by more languages and cultures than she could rightly shake a stick at- but getting out of the airport's terminal brought with it a whole new surprise parked right out front.

For some reason, she really thought stretch limousines were... an American thing. Especially... _Hummer_ limos. They just seemed to ostentatious for... well anyone, in the redhead's opinion, but certainly given her current location. Weren't all Europeans supposed to be, like, all for recycling and stuff, saving the planet and all that?

Or was that a stereotype?

Crap, was she being insensitive? If she hadn't been so distracted trying to learn Norwegian, she would've done some research on The Netherlands. She probably looked like an idiot gawking at a stupid limo, of all things.

"Chase away those clouds, Sunshine." Elsa pressed a kiss to her cheek. "You're getting nervous again."

Anna gave her a weak smile and nodded, trying to swallow her anxiety. She was all set to head towards what she assumed to be the cab line when her girlfriend nudged her towards the Hummer limo. "Is that for us?"

"I suspect so," Elsa replied, chuckling softly as the driver hurried around to open the back door but didn't make it in time, the occupants pouring out and rushing towards the pair.

Elsa had mentioned, over the past three week especially, the select few friends the blonde claimed from the world of the rich and powerful: Merida DunBroch, daughter of the CEO of Clydesdale Bank, one of the three main banking institutes in Scotland, and next in line for the company; Olaf Fossen, eldest son of the CEOs of Orkla, a Norwegian conglomerate spanning forty countries, and next in line for the company; and Marshall Fossen, youngest son of the CEOs of Orkla and prospective next in line for the position of Axis Communications CEO. She described them as being energetic, outgoing, and entirely bored with the role they were expected to play in their parents' businesses. In other words, Elsa's polar opposites, but they somehow got along. Anna had originally thought the blonde was describing their quirks in comparison to herself.

Nope.

Not at all.

Because being 'energetic' in comparison to Elsa wasn't hard. In comparison to Anna on a sugar high? Much more difficult... unless you're Olaf, apparently.

"ELSA! _YOU'RE BACK!_ " A scrawny young man shouted in Norwegian and raced towards them, throwing his arms wide and nearly tackling the blonde to the ground, knocking his glasses askew in the process. " _We missed you so much!_ "

"It's good to be back, Olaf," Elsa replied in English and hugged him, casting a glance at Anna. She was warned about the shorter man's tendency to be overly- and almost inappropriately- affectionate, but her girlfriend had explained that he was genuine in his gestures and rarely meant them as anything more than platonic displays. Thankfully, the redhead was able to keep a handle on her jealousy, cracking a smile at the warm welcome.

"Ye cou'd stand ta visit mair than once a year, ye ken." A redheaded woman grumbled, hands shoved in the pockets of her faded, torn jeans. Anna nearly laughed out loud; while Olaf was wearing a suit and tie, minus the jacket, the woman she could only assume to be Merida was wearing an outfit resembling those Elsa wore at the beginning of their relationship, right down to a grubby jean jacket over her shoulders. Juxtaposed with the limo almost made Anna laugh, though she managed to keep her amusement to herself. "We kin barely git a word in wi' ye when yer parents are aroond. Ah'd say they're mair than eager ta blether ta ye than we are."

"Hey, we're lucky Her Majesty came back to grace us with her presence at all this year!" Marshall laughed, the sound deep and rich, the younger of the two brothers standing head and shoulders above everyone else. "Goes off to another country, gets swept off her feet by some American." Chestnut colored eyes fell on Anna, his gaze intense though Marshall's smile remained kind. "And this must be the lucky woman, yes?"

Elsa nodded, detaching from Olaf long enough to wrap an arm around Anna's shoulders. "Marshall, Merida, Olaf, allow me to introduce Anna Andersen." The blonde leaned closer to her, whispering into her ear: "Just a reminder, all's fair in love and war."

Before she could puzzle over the cryptic message, Anna was shoved forward much like she'd done to Elsa during their first visit to the Andersens' home. She hardly stumbled a step, suddenly caught in a vice-like grip that threatened to shatter a few ribs if things continued.

"You give such warm hugs!" Olaf laughed, having switched to English for her benefit, apparently.

Which, of course made the redhead feel guilty, so she responded in Norwegian and returned the embrace as best she could. For a tiny guy, Olaf could put some wrestlers to shame! " _Thank you. Your hugs are good, too._ "

Though it was as basic as two sentences could get, Olaf lit up like she'd just recited Shakespeare backwards or something. " _You speak our language!_ "

" _Only a little; I'm learning._ " She smiled at Elsa. " _But I have a wonderful teacher._ "

"Och stoatin, anither garbled fankle fur me ta caw a deaf lug ta, lik' ah wantit mair o' that!" Merida tapped Olaf's shoulder, prompting the man to move away and allowing the two redheads to stand face-to-face. Merida was uncomfortably close in Anna's opinion but, judging from the aggressive set of her jaw, that was exactly where the other woman wanted to be. "Ye'r juist comin' along ta speil th' part o' a lapdog, aren't ye?"

" _Excuse_ me?" Anna frowned, furrowing her brows. She didn't really catch all that but the tone definitely didn't bode well.

"Dae ye actually care aboot Elsa or are ye juist 'ere fur th' dosh?" Merida spat, leaning closer and trying very admirably to strike some fear into Anna through the force of her gaze alone.

"Dosh?"

"Aye, th' money."

It took a moment for Anna to string the words together. Though mildly insulted, Anna could easily see where Merida was coming from; what she couldn't agree with was the other woman's method of addressing the issue. While she expected some sort of interrogation from the blonde's friends, she could see her girlfriend's expression out of the corner of her eye and this particular method was not appreciated. Gritting her teeth, Anna matched Merida's expression with one of her own, growling out her reply. "I'm here because I _love her_."

Both redheads were silent before Merida leaned back a few inches, crossing her arms over her chest. "Ah'll gie ye three million, American, an' buy yer ticket if ye leave by the end o' today, wi'out her."

"Merida-"

"Dinnae interrupt, mukker; this is atween me 'n' her."

"Wait, _what_?" Anna blinked in surprise before clenching both hands into fists. Being insulted, Anna could handle. The tone Merida just used to address Elsa? Calling her... whatever she just called her? Oh _hell_ no. Leaning forward, Anna jabbed a finger into the other woman's chest, lowering her voice to a menacing rumble. "Look, I don't know who you _think_ you are, but I'm here because _Elsa_ wants me to be here, and if she changes her mind, I'll abide by her wishes. _No_ amount of money or threats from _any_ of you are going to persuade me to disregard her wants and needs, and you can _fuck right the hell off_ for even trying that shit." She drew back, mirroring Merida's pose. "You don't like me, that's fine, but for Elsa's sake, let's play nice so we don't embarrass anyone. Unless you'd prefer a bloody nose to match your hair."

There was a moment of silence between the five of them before everyone- except, of course, Anna- busted out into laughter. Olaf, Marshall, and Merida were doubled over and holding their stomachs, while Elsa was busy pulling Anna into her arms, holding her close.

"I gotta admit, Your Majesty, you found yourself a real American Firecracker!" Marshall gasped, laughing harder as he slapped Merida's back. "You shoulda seen the look on your face, Wildfire! Priceless!"

"Ah totally didnae expect tha'! Did ye hear her? Lassie's git guts!" Merida chortled, her accent shining through much more forcefully than before. "Yer Majesty, ye hae tae let me indroduce her tae mah mither sometime! it juist micht mak' her heid explode!"

Anna blinked a few times, turning towards Elsa. "I feel like I missed something."

Elsa leaned in and kissed her cheek. "She was just testing you, Sunshine, and you passed."

She frowned. "I still don't like her calling you a... muk.. mukker?"

"Lassie, 'mukker' means 'friend'."

"... oh." Anna gave a helpless chuckle and shrugged. "I can barely manage speaking English and Norwegian... not sure if I can manage Scottish too."

"Ye'll do fine." Merida grinned, clapping her on the shoulder. "Welcome ta th' Court o' Importance!"

"Court of Fools, more like." Marshall chuckled, nodding towards the awaiting limo. "We'd best start heading back, before Mr. Aren sends out a search party for us."

As they started towards the limo, Anna leaned over to her girlfriend, speaking in a hushed voice. "Court of _what_?"

"It's a silly joke from when we were kids." Elsa explained, a small grin on her lips. "Raised to be the leaders of large companies, it's like we were royalty next in line for thrones. I suggested we band our nations together, so we became the 'Court of Importance'." At Anna's curious look, she shrugged. "I was the oldest at eight; we weren't exactly the most imaginative group back then, okay? If I'd _known_ the word 'pretentious' at eight, I would've worked that in somewhere."

Anna laughed, loading their luggage into the back of the limo, much to chagrin of the driver. After sheepishly apologizing, the two joined the three already inside the vehicle, the friends catching up on news as they left the airport. Anna listened to the conversation, mildly amused at the different accents alongside each other. While Olaf had- what she guessed- a true Norwegian accent, Marshall's was slightly different, likely an influence from the Swedish business tutors. Elsa's held shades of Norwegian, though that was coming out the more she spoke, still affected by her time in America. Merida's was... well, a pretty stark contrast all around.

And then, there was Anna. While the redhead had plenty of time to properly freak out about meeting the blonde's parents, she hadn't really been given any time to freak out about meeting her friends. Once they pulled her into the conversation, though, it was like they'd all grown up together. Marshall and Olaf were interested in her- admittedly, very limited and probably poorly informed- views on cross Atlantic relations and Merida was more than willing to rant with her about the silliness of proper manners and etiquette.

As they pulled into an expansive estate on the edges of Amsterdam, the five were deep in conversation about global social trends and social media in general. Elsa kept shooting Anna grateful smiles, able to keep up with the conversation thanks to Anna's explanations from months ago.

When the door opened, it took all of them by surprise.

"We're here already?" Olaf frowned momentarily before perking up again. "Does that mean we can start the Tournament of Champions?"

"Tournament of Champions?" Anna quirked a brow, getting out and accepting her luggage from the driver.

"Aye, we start a gam o' Super Smash Brother's Melee, max participants on th' highest damage mode. Whoever's fighter mak's it ta th' end, wins." Merida shrugged. "Guid way ta shite away some time."

Anna glanced at Elsa. "Shite?"

"Waste." Elsa smirked. "It takes some time but you'll be able to understand it soon enough. Just don't try speaking it yourself." She frowned. "I made that mistake once."

"Aye, 'n' ah'ave ne'er bin sa offendit. She didnae even offer ta buy me supper foremaist." Merida teased.

As the five made their way up the steps of the house, Anna noticed a man and woman standing beside the door, both wearing wide smiles. Had she not already seen Mr. Aren, she might've mistaken the pair for Elsa's parents, especially once they rushed forward.

"Kai! Gerda!" Elsa dropped her bag and accepted the man's embrace with a laugh, moving on to the woman once she was released.

" _It's wonderful to see you again, Miss Elsa,_ " Kai said in fluent Norwegian with a fond smile. Anna could barely keep up with his words. " _The whole place is looking forward to your visit._ "

" _And this must be our special guest!_ " Gerda released Elsa and pulled Anna into a hug. " _She's precious!_ "

" _Ah, thank you?_ " Anna ventured, noting the surprised glance Kai and Gerda shared.

"Impressive." Kai chuckled, bending down to collect Elsa's luggage. His English held more of an accent than Elsa's but it wasn't too difficult for the redhead to understand. "But, we will try to be courteous."

"Yes, dear, here, let me take that." Gerda eased the strap of Anna's backpack from her shoulder and her tote from her hand. Anna tried to protest but acquiesced with Elsa's encouragement. " _Your father will be home in two hours, Miss Elsa. Your mother is in the library._ "

" _Thank you._ " Elsa smiled, taking Anna by the hand. "We'll go meet my mother, then join the others for some games, okay?"

Anna took a deep breath and nodded, not trusting her voice, allowing Elsa to lead the way.

Months ago, when the blonde revealed her heritage and all that it implied, Anna hadn't really acknowledged the full extent of that information. Even after seeing the blonde's plethora of gaming equipment, nothing had really hit home. Sure, she was well aware of the whole 'wealthy CEO' portion of Elsa's upbringing, having spent the past several weeks stressing over it but...

Well, there was a marked difference between being aware of someone's financial status and walking what felt like miles through a mansion decorated with classical art and classy furniture.

_How the hell was she supposed to impress these people!?_

"Sunshine, look at me," Elsa said as they came to a stop outside of double doors with brass handles, caressing her cheek and squeezing her hand reassuringly. "You're anxious and you shouldn't be. My mother will love you."

"But-"

" _But_..." the blonde smiled, leaning in to brush a soft kiss against her lips. "... if she doesn't, then that's her loss."

"Snowflake..." Anna mumbled before pulling her girlfriend in for another kiss, harder than the last. Elsa matched her intensity, making an unspoken promise that everything would be okay. When they parted, the redhead nuzzled into Elsa's embrace. "I love you, Elsa."

"I love you too, Anna." She smiled. "No matter what."

They shared a quick kiss and opened the doors, stepping into a room straight out of a Victorian era novel. Bookcases from floor to ceiling, packed with books of every size, lined the walls and more bookcases set perpendicular to the others, creating little alcoves filled with a few plush chairs, low tables with centerpieces.

It was... definitely a little jarring.

" _Mother?_ "

" _Over here, Elsa._ " Anna turned her head as they passed another bookcase, coming face-to-face with the woman she'd dreaded meeting for the better part of two months.

Somehow, the only thought going through her mind was: it was no wonder where Elsa got her natural beauty from. Mrs. Aren was the very definition of grace, her chestnut brown hair done up in an intricate bun and a pleasant smile on her face as she rose to greet them.

Anna suddenly remembered the conventional wisdom that looking at a woman's mother would be a pretty good idea of how she'd look twenty or so years down the road. If that held true in Elsa's case...

_Damn._ Just... _dayum!_

"So, you must be Anna." Mrs. Aren's lips twitched slightly, though Anna couldn't tell exactly why. She hoped it was because of the language switch and not suppressing a frown. "Elsa's told us a bit about you."

" _She's spoken very fondly of you, Ma'am._ " Anna mentally cheered at the slight surprise registering on Mrs. Aren's face. " _It's my honor to meet you._ "

She heard Elsa smother a chuckle beside her, furrowing her brows slightly as Mrs. Aren's smile grew wider.

"I believe you mean 'ære' instead of 'ærlig', my dear."

Anna's face instantly heated up, the blush rising in her cheeks reaching all the way to the tips of her ears. She ducked her head down but, just before she could start mentally berating herself, Elsa's hand slid under her chin and pulled her into a soft kiss.

"I remember when Elsa was learning English." Mrs. Aren's voice snatched their attention away from the other, both women turning to look as Mrs. Aren seemed lost in memory. "She was absolutely convinced that someone was ill every time someone said 'that's sick' and would constantly questioned why no one was calling a doctor."

Anna chuckled while Elsa sighed, rubbing at her temple. "In my defense, I still think that's it's a silly expression and I had a legitimate concern."

"Ah, the horror of growing up in the nineties." Anna teased, wrapping an arm around the blonde's waist as she received a playful glare, turning her attention instead to Mrs. Aren. "Either way, sorry about that. I'm, uh, still learning."

"Yet doing so well! Learning another language isn't easy for most people, especially coming to it so late."

"Mother." Elsa warned, frowning slightly. "That's hardly her fault."

"I didn't mean to imply it was," Mrs. Aren replied, retaking her seat and picking up a book she must've been reading earlier. "I hope both of you will join us for dinner."

"Of course," Anna said, glancing at her girlfriend briefly before following the blonde out, biting her lip as they entered the hallway. "Why do I get the feeling she's not exactly happy about this?"

"Because she's not." The blonde grumbled, rolling her eyes. "But, she's at least _trying_ to be nice, I'll give her that." Elsa slipped her hand into Anna's, prompting her to return the blonde's small smile with one of her own. "It doesn't matter. She doesn't know what she's missing but she'll see. She'll change her mind."

They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"I can't believe I got 'honor' and 'honest' confused, though." The redhead groused, shoulders slumping slightly. "So much for impressing her."

"Hey, none of that, Sunshine." Elsa pulled on her hand, bringing them to a stop in the middle of the hallway. "I already told you that you don't have to impress anyone here." She wrapped her arms around Anna. "This place? This house? It isn't home for me. Right here? In your arms? _This_ is my home."

Anna smiled, pulling her girlfriend into a kiss. "Thank you, Snowflake. I'm just... _really_ nervous-"

"Oh? I couldn't tell." Elsa laughed as Anna playfully swatted her arm.

"You're just going to keep teasing me until I give in and start acting like the little manner-less heathen my parents told you about, aren't you?"

"No, of course not!" The blonde pulled away, starting down the hallway once more. "I'll stop once you're the little manner-less heathen I remember eating with at Tony's. I _do_ have standards, you know."

Anna added 'chasing girlfriend through a mansion' to the growing list of moments that reminded her just how much she loved the woman.

* * *

While Anna enjoyed playing video games for leisure, getting a group of future CEOs together to play a tournament crossed into territory that was way too competitive for her skillset. Which was fine by the redhead despite how much the others tried to include her in the game. Rather than playing, she sat in a chair with Elsa on her lap, arms wrapped around the blonde's waist while she played.

It was endlessly amusing how many times Merida, Olaf, or Marshall would offer her money in exchange for sabotaging the blonde as they played. Anna refused, of course, remaining loyal to her girlfriend up until the semi-finals. Elsa had two characters still in the game, one in each bracket. Marshall got knocked out in the quarterfinals by Merida, leaving three of the friends still in the fight.

"A'm serious, a million dollars, a yacht, 'n' whitevur motor ye waant." Merida plead as they got into the stage selection menu.

"I think it's an appropriate time for a counter offer."

"Counter offer?" Elsa raised a brow, throwing a glance over her shoulder.

"Yeah. I get cuddles and a story tonight, or else I sabotage your match." Anna nuzzled into the blonde's shoulder.

"Oh? And what makes you think you _can_ sabotage me?" The blonde dared, prompting her to smirk.

Challenge accepted.

Anna instantly latched onto the blonde's neck and blew a raspberry on her skin, digging her fingers into Elsa's sides where she was most ticklish. Elsa instantly jerked and burst out laughing, nearly losing her grip on the controller completely as she tried to get away. The redhead wasn't that easily thwarted, though, and followed her girlfriend to the ground, keeping up her assault as Merida whooped in the background.

"S-s-stop! St- oh my! Stop!" Elsa mustered, fighting to get away. "Mercy! Mercy!"

"I demand cuddles!"

"Cuddles! Okay! Just stop!"

"And a story!"

"Okay! Okay! You win!"

Anna collapsed into a giggle fit as she ceased her assault, rolling onto her back. In a flash, Elsa was hovering over her, the controller long forgotten as she playfully glowered at the redhead.

"I would've given you cuddles and a story anyway."

Anna reached out, running her fingers along Elsa's forehead to brush the loose locks behind her ear. "I know, Snowflake. But in a world of CEOs, I have to learn the art of wheeling and dealing at some point, right?"

Her girlfriend rolled her eyes. "Oh, my dearest Sunshine... do you _really_ want to play this game with me?"

She paused, tilting her head slightly. "I'll probably lose every time... but I'd play any game you want, Snowflake."

Elsa laughed, leaning down for a kiss as Merida proclaimed herself the winner. Neither of them were paying much attention- losing themselves a bit in the feel of the other- until someone cleared their throat. They both looked up with sheepish grins, ready to apologize to Marshall or Olaf... until they realized it wasn't either young man who'd cleared his throat.

It was Mr. Aren.

He looked just like Anna remembered, except his features were sharper in person rather than through a computer screen. In a crisp three piece suit, Mr. Aren stood just behind the couch, looking down at them with a blank, unreadable expression and...

... oh no...

...were those tears in his eyes?

" _Father._ " Elsa pushed herself up, getting to her feet. Anna followed suit, brushing herself off quickly and straightening out her clothes. " _I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in. How was your day?_ "

" _Good._ " Mr. Aren nodded, shifting his gaze to Anna and offering her a small smile. "I hope you find everything to your liking. Let the staff know if you are in need of anything." He looked back to Elsa. "I'll see you both at dinner."

He turned and left as quickly and quietly as he came, leaving the five of them stunned in his wake.

"How long do you think he was standing there?" Anna bit her lip, fiddling with her shirt nervously. Everyone shrugged, Olaf snatching up Merida's controller and trying to lighten the mood by pestering Elsa into starting the match. Anna reclaimed her former seat, accepting Elsa's weight onto her lap with only slight trepidation. "Was... was he crying?"

"I don't know," Elsa replied quietly, shaking her head slightly. "I... can't remember ever seeing him cry."

Anna fell silent as the game continued, burying her face in the blonde's back, taking a deep breath and trying to will herself to calm down and mentally prepare herself for dinner.

As long as she had Elsa's love, she could make it through this. She tightened her hold on the blonde.

_They_ could make it through this.

But she needed to distract herself now or else she'd work herself into a panic attack long before dinner rolled around.

"It's funny," she said, summoning a smile as the blonde glanced at her. "Seems we keep getting caught by the nearest dad. Who do you think's next? Merida's?"

Anna felt a real smile claim her lips as the other four busted out laughing, hard. She had no idea what the Scot's father was like but, if the reaction was any indication, she couldn't have picked a better hypothetical candidate. With the tension broken, conversation turned to lighter topics and Anna could feel her girlfriend relaxing into her embrace once more.

It was more comforting than just about anything else could be, in that moment.


	3. Worthy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: You already know, I'm sure.

Elsa and Anna opted to grab a shower after the tournament- which Elsa won, to the consternation of Merida and the surprise of literally no one else- ended, heading to the room set aside for the blonde during her visits to the estate.

"So, how shall we decide who gets to shower first?" Elsa smiled, having recovered from her father's odd display. The blonde seemed bound and determined to remain positive during their stay which helped bolster Anna's tenuous grip on her self-confidence.

The redhead shrugged. "You, I guess."

"But I'm the host." Elsa lightly bumped their shoulders together, taking her hand and squeezing slightly. "If I go first, that would be poor manners."

"Yeah, but you're my girlfriend, so it'd be poor manners for me to go first." Anna countered, trying to match Elsa's lighthearted argument.

"Hmmm, but you're _my_ girlfriend as well, so I think that point is invalid."

"Okay, how about this: you go first because I want a chance to snoop around your room," she replied.

"You won't find much. I didn't really grow up here," Elsa said, catching sight of Gerda as they turned a corner. "Although that does remind me. _Gerda! I seem to remember father... being done on my bathroom. Has that been completed?_ "

" _Yes, Miss Elsa, just a few weeks ago._ " The older woman smiled. " _I believe you will like the improvements._ "

" _Excellent. We wanted to grab showers before dinner. It's still being served at the same time as always, right?_ " The blonde threw Anna a look that plainly said she already knew the answer to that question and suppressed a chuckle.

From the twinkle in her eyes, Anna guessed Gerda was just as aware that the question was a rather silly one to ask. " _Yes, of course, dear. Your father wouldn't have it any other way._ "

" _Tell me about it._ " Elsa slipped her hand out of Anna's grip, her girlfriend moving to wrap her arm around the redhead's shoulders. " _By the way, I don't believe you two were properly introduced. Gerda, this is Anna Andersen._ "

" _It's a pleasure to meet you,_ " Anna said, holding out her hand and expecting Gerda to take it, faltering a moment after as she tried to remember if that was even a custom in Norway... or The Netherlands... or any country besides America.

Luckily, whether it was a custom or not, Gerda took her hand and gently pat her arm. " _It's a joy to meet you, Miss Anna. I'm so happy our little Elsa has found someone to make her so happy._ "

Anna beamed, looking at Elsa and catching a matching expression adorning her girlfriend's face. That was just the sort of confidence booster she needed!

" _Now, dear, would you like to show me to your room?_ " Gerda motioned down an adjacent hall, bringing Elsa's formerly happy- and a bit proud- expression crashing into one of confusion.

" _I know I haven't visited in a while but my room hasn't changed locations, has it?_ "

Gerda blinked in surprise. " _Of course not, dear! I was offering Miss Anna an escort to her room, but if you'd rather-_ "

" _ **Her** room?_ " The blonde frowned as Anna's shoulders slumped. " _I was under the- wait, who told you we **wouldn't** be sharing a room during our visit?_ "

" _Your mother,_ " Gerda replied, transforming from the kindly woman from before to what Anna imagined was the strict disciplinarian who helped raise Elsa. " _Now Miss Elsa-_ "

" _I'm going to talk to her._ " Elsa started to turn away, her arm leaving Anna's shoulders, but the redhead reacted quickly, snaking an arm around her waist. "Anna-"

"Snowflake, hear me out." Anna waited a moment for her girlfriend's irritation to fade a little before continuing. She glanced at Gerda, opting to switch back to Norwegian to prove a point. " _This is your parents' house, Snowflake. It's their rules while we're here. If your mother wants us to stay in different rooms, that's what we'll do. It doesn't change anything between us._ " She paused, scrunching her nose as she tried to remember if Norwegian even had a word for 'cuddles', deciding to switch back to English anyway. "It just means you owe me cuddles and a story when we get back to America. Okay?"

Elsa pouted, clearly not 'okay' in any sense. She settled for a muttered: "You're getting better. Switching back and forth."

"I wasn't lying when I said I have an amazing teacher." She leaned in, kissing Elsa's cheek and whispering into her ear. "I'll spend every night dreaming of you. It's just for two weeks."

"Are you aware that you pick the most inconvenient times to be the reasonable one?" The blonde sighed, hugging her tightly.

"Well, I can't let you be the reasonable one all the time. That wouldn't be fair," Anna replied, keeping a smile on her face as they parted. "I'll see you after we both freshen up."

Reluctantly, Elsa and Anna started in different directions, Gerda escorting the redhead down a hall and then another, throwing little glances over her shoulder as they walked. As hard as it was to do, Anna managed to keep a small smile on her face. Really, it was selfish of her to use Elsa as a shield throughout their stay; if she was going to impress the Arens, she'd have to do it standing on her own.

She still wasn't keen on the idea of sleeping alone, though.

Gerda stopped about midway down the second hallway and opened a door, ushering Anna into a room easily the size of Elsa's apartment, complete with a four poster bed, two dressers, a vanity, a writing desk, a freaking sofa, two matching chairs, and a coffee table.

"Wow." Anna blinked stepping inside and catching sight of her bags sitting at the foot of the bed. She probably didn't bring enough to fill even one of the dressers.

The smile she'd managed to plaster on slowly fell.

"Miss? Is something not to your liking?" Gerda furrowed her brows in concern.

"No! Well, I mean..." She sighed, flashing the older woman a weak smile. "It's just a big bed for one person, you know?" Anna received a sympathetic nod in reply, clearing her throat before switching back to Norwegian. " _Thank you for your help._."

Gerda laughed. " _It's my pleasure. Let me know if you need anything. The bathroom is through that door._ "

The redhead waited until the door was closed before siting on the bed, sighing heavily. Okay, so, this was a set back. Just a small one, though. Nothing big. It wasn't like when she'd spent the night on the couch, a self-imposed exile due to a misunderstanding. This was being courteous and reasonable.

Seriously, she was a grown woman; spending a few nights sleeping in a bed alone was absolutely nothing to sweat over.

"But it still sucks." She muttered to no one in particular, trudging towards the bathroom to grab that shower.

* * *

As one would expect, dinner was a... tense affair.

Merida, Olaf, and Marshall did their part to lighten the mood, keeping the stilted conversation plodding along in English as people- servants, apparently, because the Aren's were _that_ kind of rich- brought in each course of the meal. Anna sat as straight as she could in her seat beside Elsa, trying to keep her silverware from scratching her plate as she cut into some sort of traditional fish dish and focusing rather heavily on not looking at the dead, glassy eyes.

Yeah, that was still a thing that bugged her.

Elsa had remained exceptionally quiet throughout the meal thus far, shooting her mother looks that promised the whole sleeping-in-separate-rooms thing was going to come up again. Come to think of it, she didn't actually get the blonde to agree to leaving the issue alone.

Crap.

"Snowflake?" Anna kept her voice low, leaning towards her girlfriend.

Elsa blinked, turning her attention from glowering at her mother to the redhead beside her. "Yes, Sunshine?"

"I realize neither of us is happy about the sleeping arrangements, but will you _promise_ me you won't make a big deal about it?"

The blonde frowned. "I don't see why you're so insistent on just letting this go. If I talk to her-"

"You may say something you'll regret." Anna reached out, pausing only briefly before taking Elsa's hand in hers. "Your mother probably doesn't like me and you've already threatened to be disowned."

"I don't see why either part of that statement matters," her girlfriend replied, squeezing her hand. "This is _our_ decision to make- to be together- not theirs."

"But it _is_ their home."

"And that gives them the right to deny me mine?"

Anna sighed. Being the responsible adult sucked.

"So! Miss... Anna..." Mr. Aren coughed into his hand, having outright barked out the words initially before settling his tone to a more acceptable level for dinner conversation. "You're attending university, yes?"

The redhead flashed a smile at Elsa as the blonde gave her hand another squeeze, swallowing her apprehension before replying. "Well, I'm currently splitting my time between college and a job as a waitress."

"A waitress? That's... nice." Mrs. Aren offered a weak smile. "Is that a career you're interested in pursuing? Customer service, I mean."

"Um, not exactly." Anna nervously chuckled. "It's just to help put me through college."

"What are your plans for the future then? What are you studying?" Mr. Aren began lightly drumming his fingers on the tabletop, something that must be a habit for him if Mrs. Aren's brief glance was any indication.

"I didn't ask Anna to accompany me so she could be interrogated." Elsa cut in, bristling slightly as both of her parents turned their attention to her.

"It's fine, Snowflake," Anna quickly said, squeezing her hand lightly. She'd anticipated questions along these lines, though it occurred to her that she should've talked to Elsa about it beforehand. Too late to back down now. "I don't exactly have any solid plans for the future at the moment but I will be switching my major once the fall semester starts up. The classes I've taken so far have me covered for the general requirements, so I'll spend the next two years trying for my Associates in International Business."

Elsa instantly shot her a look that clearly conveyed her surprise and excitement. They'd probably talk about it after dinner; hopefully, that would distract the blonde from talking to her mother.

Mr. Aren looked between his daughter and the redhead. "You made this decision recently, I take it?"

"Yes, Sir." Anna stole a glance at Elsa. "She came home one day ranting about her professor's lecture on multidomestic strategy and I did some research so I could at least understand what she was saying. The subject seems pretty fascinating when you're thinking on a global scale, so I thought I could pursue it."

"Came home?" Mrs. Aren sniffed. "I wasn't aware the two of you were living together."

"We aren't living together full time, not yet," Elsa replied, sending a pointed look to her mother. "But, she's always welcomed in my home."

"And the inverse applies, too." Anna, on impulse, lifted the hand still clasped in hers to place a soft kiss on Elsa's skin. The blonde smiled, the tension in her shoulders dropping slightly as she affectionately watched the redhead.

All eyes snapped to Mr. Aren as he abruptly stood, offering the same small smile from earlier. "It's just occurred to me that I have some business to attend to. Please, excuse me. And Miss Anna..." his lips twitched into a slightly wider smile. "It's a pleasure to formally meet you."

As Mr. Aren exited the room, Mrs. Aren pushed away from the table and made to follow him with his partially finished meal in one hand, flashing the group a polite smile. "I'd better check on him. Please, continue enjoying your meal."

The room was dead silent for a few moments after the two departed before Merida spoke up.

"Th' foremaist time ah hud supper 'ere, thay hud Kai tie me ta mah chair wi' scarves." The Scot shrugged. "A' in a', ah think ye won th' rammy, Firecracker."

Marshall, Olaf, and Elsa all laughed while Anna slumped in her chair.

She suddenly wished she'd at least tried to meet the parents during her past relationships; maybe the experience would've prevented this disaster.

Which reminded her.

"Hey, Snowflake?" Anna turned to the blonde, who had returned to her meal like her friends. "Have you told your parents about... um..." She made a vague gesture towards her lap. " _That_ yet?"

"Of course not, Sunshine," her girlfriend instantly replied, brows furrowing slightly. "It's hardly their concern."

Oh. So, they just didn't like her as a person. _Great_.

Anna lowered her head to the table and sighed heavily, much to the confusion of Marshall, Olaf, and Merida.

This trip was going to be _long_ and _painful_.

Elsa scooted her chair closer, putting an arm around the redhead's shoulders and placing a soft kiss on her hair. "My father likes you." The redhead instantly shot her girlfriend a look that conveyed how little she believed that. "He doesn't bother putting on airs like my mother does."

"He can't stand to be in the same room as us for more than a few minutes."

Rather than argue, Elsa nodded, sitting back in her chair slightly. "I agree something's off about his reaction... but I truly believe he likes you."

Anna considered continuing their disagreement but relented and returned her attention to her meal. If Elsa thought her father was acting odd for a reason other than disdain for his daughter's girlfriend, she'd have to trust the blonde's judgment until she had evidence otherwise.

"So... International Business? When were you going to tell me?"

The redhead chuckled, lifting her gaze to meet Elsa's excited smile. "I actually meant to tell you a month ago, when I finalized the move with my counselor. I just-"

"You've been stressed, I know." The blonde rubbed her back soothingly. "I'm certainly not upset. Just surprised. Which sector are you thinking about entering?"

"See, that's the part I _didn't_ really think out all the way."

"You could always come work for us!" Anna and Elsa shifted their attention to Olaf, who was nearly bouncing in his seat. "We've been looking to expand into the North American market, so we'd probably have an opening! I'm supposed to be taking over the company next year; I'm pretty sure I can save you an upper management slot, at the very least."

"Thank you, Olaf, I appreciate the offer, but, uh..." Anna bit her lip briefly, a slight blush rising in her cheeks. "I was kinda hoping I could apply for a position at IKEA's corporate headquarters."

"You want to work for me?" Elsa tilted her head to the side, as if confused by the admission.

"Not directly. I don't want to encroach on your workspace or anything but I want to understand what's going on, so I can offer whatever help I can." Anna explained, shrugging. "It was just a thought, though; I totally get if you'd rather me work somewhere else."

"Ye shuid minor in accounting." Merida suggested, nodding sagely when Anna raised a brow. "Trust me, th' name kin chaynge fae land ta land, bit dosh is dosh. If ye hae an understanding o' howfur it wirks, th' world opens up fur ye."

"And it never hurts for us to know another banker." Marshall chimed in, the others nodding along.

"I think I can swing that." Anna rubbed at her neck. "Might really increase my school work, though..."

"You can handle it. I have complete faith in that." Elsa pressed a kiss to her cheek, smiling. "But if you need any help, just ask, okay?"

" _Any_ of us!" Olaf laughed. "We'd never let our friend face the evil forces of school work alone, right?"

"Of course not, brother." Marhsall rolled his eyes while Merida barked out a laugh.

"Enough o' this mushy crap! Let's finish sae we kin gang speil some games!"

* * *

The next few days were... weird. And stressful.

Anna spent most of her time with Elsa, of course, but the two either avoided the blonde's parents or were being avoided themselves, Anna wasn't really sure. Meals were usually taken in the gaming room or out on the town, so Anna could sample the local cuisine. Merida, Olaf, and Marshall were ever present, until they decided to excuse themselves so the couple could have some alone time, which was spent mostly comforting each other.

Or arguing.

Despite her protests to the contrary, her parents' reactions were frustrating the blonde to no end. While they certainly weren't making Anna feel welcomed in the Arens' home, the redhead was more concerned with keeping the relationships between Elsa and her parents from fraying any further than she was about their treatment of her. More than once she had to bodily prevent her girlfriend from tearing through the house looking for her mother and father.

The day before Elsa's birthday party happened to be the worst of their disagreements on the matter.

Actually, it was their worst argument to date, and Anna found herself reluctantly grateful for the whole Vanessa fiasco. It introduced her to what the blonde's anger looked like and she definitely needed that limited exposure. Otherwise, she probably would've buckled days ago.

"Let me talk to them."

"No."

Elsa was fuming, blue eyes sparking with anger that wasn't intended for the redhead but leveled at her regardless. Anna, on the other hand, was trying her best to keep from becoming frustrated with the blonde in turn, standing in front of the only door to the room. Elsa was pacing in front of her, looking for an opening to dart past her and through the exit.

"They have no right to treat you like this!" Elsa's voice was rising with her anger.

"They didn't kick me out, Elsa! This is not a _bad_ reaction by any means!" Anna crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to budge from her post. "They have the right to react however they want! It's _their_ house!"

"No, they don't! Not when your parents were so warm and understanding! They don't get to act like this and get away with it, Anna!" Elsa ran a hand through her hair, gritting her teeth. "Why won't you just let me talk to them?"

"Because you're too emotional-"

" _Emotional_?" Okay, that was the wrong thing to say. Immediately, Elsa began rattling off something in Norwegian, too fast for Anna to keep up. The redhead took a deep breath and waited out the storm, constantly reminding herself that this wasn't normal for them, that if they could make it through this, they could make it through the next obstacle to stand in their way. It helped that she could vent to Kristoff each night, keeping him aware of the situation while giving her a chance to decompress. " _Are you even listening to me?_ "

" _Yes, I am, but you're yelling at me in Norwegian._ "

" _I am not-_ " The blonde cut off as she obviously realized that that was _exactly_ what she was doing. "I- Sunshine, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"I know." Anna hesitated a moment before stepping forward, wrapping her arms around the blonde. "I know, Snowflake."

"Why couldn't they be like your parents?" Elsa whispered, returning the embrace and burying her head in Anna's neck.

"Because diversity is the spice of life?" The redhead ventured, prompting a snort from her girlfriend. She moved her hands in soothing motions up and down Elsa's back, pressing a kiss just behind her ear. "Snowflake, it could be much worse. And we haven't told them about... well, you know. Right now, let's focus on leaving here _without_ getting you disowned." She smiled. "That means you have to play nice for a little while longer, okay? Especially during tomorrow's party."

Elsa remained quiet for a few seconds before drawing back, the fire still flashing in her eyes. "Sunshine, I am _not_ leaving this place without telling them how much they've hurt me- hurt _you_ \- by acting this way. I don't care if they disown me-"

"But I _do_. Don't burn any bridges, Snowflake. Maybe it's just shock. I'm a new face, a foreigner, by all rights I guess a commoner-"

"Call yourself that again and you'll be cuddling a flimsy airline pillow on the trip back."

Anna chuckled. "Okay, fine. What I _mean_ is, it's a lot to take in. I'll grow on them, with time and exposure. I'm like a fungus."

Elsa sighed, apparently not appreciating her attempt at humor. "Sunshine. I love you with all my heart and I understand you're trying to be the bigger person here... but I'm not backing down on this." She gently cupped Anna's face in her hands. "This is my life- _you_ are my life now. If they can't be civil, then I'm not subjecting you to this again, and _they_ can deal with the repercussions."

Anna took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Can you promise me that you'll at least not provoke a confrontation during your party? Tomorrow's your birthday and, regardless of your disagreement with your parents, I want you to enjoy it."

"I'd enjoy it a lot more if my mother and father weren't being such-"

"Ah ah, watch it." Anna warned.

Elsa pouted. "I was going to say 'difficult'."

"No you weren't." She smiled. "You're too much of a grammar nazi to say 'weren't being such difficult'."

The blonde grumbled something under her breath, puffing out air before reluctantly nodding. "Only to please you, Sunshine. But I _will_ confront them about this before we leave."

Anna recognized a losing battle when she saw one and acquiesced. "Just remember that _you_ are the reason I'm here, not them. I don't care about them and their behavior upsets me _only_ because it's upsetting you so much." She leaned into Elsa, allowing her eyes to close. "I love you, Elsa."

"I love you too, Anna." The blonde nuzzled into her embrace. " _So_ much."

They stayed there, soaking in the other's presence, until Merida essentially kicked the door in, Marshall and Olaf charging in behind her. Apparently, it was time for another tournament, the group heading to the usual room and settling into their places. Anna didn't try distracting the blonde in her lap this time, focusing instead on making as many jokes as she could to lighten Elsa's mood.

When it seemed her girlfriend was quite dead set on being disturbingly quiet, Anna decided to reveal her surprise a day early. She still had the blonde's birthday present, so it wasn't too big a deal, though she'd hoped to do the reveal right before the party.

"Have you thought about what you're wearing to the party?"

"A dress," Elsa replied simply, eyes focused on the screen as she blasted Marshall off the side of the screen.

"Yeah, me too." Anna nodded into the blonde's back, waiting for-

"You too?" She turned as best she could to look at the redhead. "You're wearing a dress?"

"I was considering it." Anna looked up, doing her best not to smile at the excitement in her girlfriend's expression. "I brought one, just in case. But I brought my good suit too, if you think I'd look better-"

"I need to see them to be sure. Marshall, take my characters," Elsa said, tossing her controller towards Olaf and getting up. "You two can finish this match. Come on."

"Someone's eager." The redhead teased, taking her girlfriend's hand and following Elsa through the mansion. "Would you slow down, Snowflake?"

Elsa stopped on a dime, catching the redhead in her arms as Anna wasn't able to stop in time. "You can't tease me with this and not expect me to react, Sunshine. I've been _dying_ to see you in a dress."

Anna laughed, tapping a kiss to the blonde's nose before leading her through the halls. "Did you bring a suit?"

" _Shit_!" The blonde frowned. "I didn't even think about it, honestly."

"That's fine. I'm not sure if I could handle that level of sexy right now anyway." The two giggled, Elsa shaking her head as they reached Anna's room. "So, you only get to _see_ them today; I'm not trying them on."

"But how am I going to be able to make a good, informed decision?" Elsa did her best not to whine, sitting on the bed while she went to retrieve the outfits.

"Close your eyes and use your imagination?" Anna pulled them out, setting them side-by-side on the bed. "I have to save _some_ surprises for tomorrow."

In the end, Elsa approved of the dress, though she did spend the better part of an hour trying to convince Anna to give her a sneak peek. After the matter was settled, the two curled up on the bed, intending to just talk. They ended up taking a nap that they were rudely awoken from in order to attend dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Aren so they could all review the itinerary- because, apparently, they needed a damn itinerary for a birthday party, what the _hell_ did they get themselves into- for the following day.

Mr. Aren was a bit more... liberal with his small smile and Anna was beginning to get the idea that he was at least not as against her presence as Mrs. Aren appeared to be. He even asked Elsa to give her the basic rundown on the major corporate partners who would be attending the party, so she wouldn't be caught unawares. That, of course, could just be for the sake of his image, but given how positively Elsa reacted, she had to take the request as a good sign.

* * *

The nerves didn't hit again until the guests started arriving. Anna stood by Elsa's side, wearing a green and black dress that brought out her eyes with an enticing sweetheart neckline, along with some sensible flats, unlike her girlfriend. The blonde went with a beautiful, flattering purple dress that hugged every curve and killer heels that made her legs look amazing.

Between the two of them, _Anna_ should've been the one asking for a preview of the blonde's wardrobe. _Shit_ she looked amazing. It was only by pure luck that she caught a glimpse prior to entering the ballroom- a ballroom, they had a fucking ballroom, this place was ridiculous- and begged her girlfriend to leave the jean jacket out of her ensemble, because there would be _no_ saving her at that point.

"You're playing with your necklace again." Elsa whispered inbetween introductions, placing a hand against her lower back.

"Huh? Oh, right." She nervously laughed, allowing the snowflake necklace to rest against her chest. That much was the same, at least; both of them were wearing their rings and necklaces. "Sorry."

Elsa laughed, leaning in to ghost a kiss behind her ear, careful not to muss her make-up or leave a mark. "You're doing wonderful."

"That's because we haven't moved yet." She mumbled, shaking her head and sighing to try and rid herself of the nerves invading her system.

"There's the birthday girl!" Olaf's voice pulled their attention to the boisterous young man running towards them, his brother and Merida following slowly behind. "Happy birthday, Elsa!"

"Thank you, Olaf. And you two, too." She preempted, smirking when Marshall groused and Merida shouted her birthday wish anyway. "You three are going to be my personal protection detail tonight, right?"

"Along with your girl." Marshall nudged Anna's shoulder. "Ready to chase off some wanna-be lover boys?"

Anna raised a brow, looking to Elsa for confirmation.

"Remember what I said about the little girl who was introduced to many, many suitors?" She sighed. "I doubt me being taken will discourage their attempts."

The redhead frowned, slipping her hand into the blonde's and threading their fingers together. "Oh, it'll discourage them. I'll make sure of it."

"Finally micht git th' rammy a've bin waiting fur." Merida grinned, cracking her knuckles loudly.

"I thought violence wasn't the answer?" Olaf frowned, shoulders slumping slightly.

Marshall laughed, patting his head. "Don't worry, brother. I'm sure Wildfire and Firecracker aren't going to start any trouble. They just talk tough."

Anna was ready to retort, opening her mouth to do so, but stopped when she heard Elsa's sharp intake of breath.

"I can't believe it." The redhead looked up, following her girlfriend's gaze until she found exactly what caught Elsa's attention.

Instantly, she felt her blood run cold.

There, wearing a fancy white suit and that damned charming smile was Hans, her ex, entering the room with several other men, all of whom seemed deeply involved in conversation.

"Oh no. What's _he_ doing here?" Anna blinked, searching Elsa's face for any sign of an answer.

"You know the Westerguards?" Marshall raised a brow.

"He's a Westerguard?" The blonde gestured towards the men. "The redhead on the right."

"Yeah, that's Hans, the youngest son." Olaf shrugged. "He's not like his other brothers, really; his father never brought him to the big corporate parties once their firm became the legal advisers to IKEA. He's American, though, just like the rest of his family. He seems a bit... fake to me."

"A complete jerk, if ye ask me." Merida rolled her eyes, looking towards Anna. "Ye ken him?"

"Unfortunately." Anna muttered, taking a deep breath and releasing the blonde's hand. "Maybe I should go-"

"No, Sunshine." Elsa quickly linked their hands again, eyes pleading. "You said it yourself; this is _my_ party. I'd rather have you here than him."

"But if he makes another scene..." The redhead worried her lip, noting out of the corner of her eye that Hans had definitely seen her, his face darkening as he apparently stopped contributing to the conversation.

Elsa didn't appear to hear her objection. "I need to speak to my father. Everyone, please, stay with Anna."

"Whit's gotten intae her?" Merida scrunched up her nose as the blonde set off in search of her parents. "'n' ye, fur that maiter?"

"Hans is my ex-boyfriend. We... didn't part on good terms." Anna quickly explained, mustering a small smile as Hans' group approached them, the man she could only assume to be Hans' father quirking a brow at her.

"We came to offer our birthday wishes to Miss Elsa but it appears she's run off. I hope everything is alright." The older man sounded sincere enough and didn't bat an eyelash at the redhead, for which Anna was grateful. Hans probably never mentioned her to his family.

"Yes, I'm sorry for the, uh, inconvenience, Sir. She just needed to talk to her parents real quick." Anna swallowed nervously, eyes darting to Hans, praying he wouldn't start anything. It was Elsa's birthday, for crying out loud; he _had_ to recognize her as the blonde from the ice rink. There was _no_ reason for him to do anything drastic. "I'll let her know you wished to speak with her as soon as she gets back, Mr. Westerguard."

Mr. Westerguard laughed, nodding his head and offering his hand. "I appreciate that, Miss, but I'm afraid your face isn't familiar to me. Must be these old eyes."

"I'm sorry, Sir, that's poor manners on our parts." Marshall spoke up, gently nudging his brother.

"Oh! Right. Mr. Westerguard, this is Anna Andersen." The energetic young man placed a hand on her shoulder. "She's an American, too!"

"Andersen?" Mr. Westerguard furrowed his brows as Anna shook his hand. "I'm afraid the name isn't familiar either, my dear. Are you part of the International Relations department?"

"Oh, I'm not an employee." She laughed lightly, trying to make it sound natural. Hans was outright _glaring_ at her from behind one of his brothers. "I'm, uh-"

"Mine." Anna's smile turned genuine as the blonde appeared beside her, wrapping a possessive arm around her waist. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Westerguard."

"Ah, there's the guest of honor!" Mr. Westerguard laughed, his gaze lingering on the two of them a moment before he continued. "Well, I suppose it makes sense now, Ingvar's concerns about your... disinterest." He turned towards his sons, Hans schooling his expression to match his brothers'. "You heard her, boys, she's taken! Don't give the happy couple any trouble!"

"Why would we ever do that?" One of the men- if Anna had to guess, he was probably the eldest of the sons- stepped up, offering the pair a wide smile. "Little Elsa's like the sister we've never had. Well, if you don't count Hans, of course."

"Very funny." Hans rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Never gets old."

Anna blinked as Hans' brothers laughed. Idly, she wondered if this particular line of teasing had any bearing on Hans' feelings towards her.

"Behave yourselves, boys." Mr. Westerguard gently chided as he turned away. "Could you point me in your father's direction, Miss Elsa?"

"Actually, I'm looking for him myself." The blonde shook her head. "If you see him, could you let him know I wish to speak with him?"

"Of course. And happy birthday, my dear."

"Thank you, Sir." Elsa graciously smiled, accepting the repeated wishes from the remainder of the sons.

When it came to Hans' turn, he offered the blonde a tight smile. "Happy birthday, Blondie."

Yup. He definitely recognized her.

"Thank you, Hans. Please, enjoy the party."

As Hans moved away, Anna breathed a sigh of relief. That had to be a good sign, right? He was just going to let bygones be bygones and move on with his life?

Could she even _be_ that lucky?

"Sunshine, look at me." The redhead met Elsa's gaze as the woman pulled them together, leaning into the embrace. "He's not going to hurt you, not again."

Anna pulled back enough to flash her girlfriend a small smile. "I don't think he can... but you should talk to your parents." Her smile faltered. "They should find out from _us_ before he gets a chance to tell them. I really wouldn't put it past him to try that."

"Tell them what?" Olaf looked between the two women, confusion written on his features. Given the looks they were getting from Marshall and Merida, the two friends were just as curious but had the restraint to leave the issue alone.

Anna thought about it for a whole second before making her decision. "Snowflake... may I?"

"You don't have to, Sunshine." The blonde furrowed her brows. "Not even all of _your_ friends know."

"I... think that's going to change when we get back to America," she replied, feeling oddly at peace with the idea. Really- aside from Kristoff- most of her friends didn't know because it just never seemed to come up during a conversation, not because she thought they would abandon her once they found out. She'd managed to make friends with a group of oddballs; they'd probably just shrug and move on or tease her about silly stuff. Eugene would probably be the worst, just for the fact he was most likely to challenge her to a size competition. He'd done that to Kristoff once.

"Okay. It's your decision." Elsa smiled, giving her a soft kiss on the lips.

Anna turned to the three still watching them curiously, trying for a moment to find the right way to word her revelation before going with the blunt option. "I was born with a penis."

Merida, Olaf, and Marshall all blinked at her in unison. It was only a little creepy, out of context.

"So... you... don't have a vagina like other girls, huh?" Olaf tilted his head to the side slightly.

"Um, yeah, that's... pretty much it." The redhead shrugged.

He nodded a moment or two before a wide grin broke out on his face. "Hey, I have a question-"

"Oh no, no Olaf, no." Marshall immediately grabbed his brother, putting a hand firmly over his mouth. As the elder Fossen squirmed, her younger fixed him with a hard glare. "Is it the same question you asked me last year while we were touring the BMW factory in Bavaria?" Olaf stopped his squirming enough to nod, a muffled noise of affirmation making its way through Marshall's hand. "Then no, you don't have a question." He turned towards the others, rolling his eyes slightly. "Excuse me while I remind my brother what the phrases 'conversations best suited to a private environment' and 'socially acceptable topics' mean."

As Marshall hauled Olaf to the nearest door leading out of the room, Anna and Elsa turned their attention to Merida, who was watching them with a smug smirk on her lips.

"What?" Elsa raised a brow, as if daring the Scot to say a word out of line.

"Nothin'." Merida shrugged, her smirk growing a little wider. "Ah juist think tis hilarious that mah dirrrty lesbian mukker's getting mair boaby than a'm." She nimbly dodged Elsa's halfhearted swipe, laughing at the blonde. "Bit tis th' truth! Ah'll admit it; a'm a wee bi' jealous."

Elsa sighed, rolling her eyes. "What am I ever going to do with you?"

"Doesn't maiter; ye'r stuck wi' me, Lassie." She laughed, nodding towards a waiter carrying a tray. "Ah'll gang grab us some drinks."

As the Scot started off, Anna leaned in close to her girlfriend, lowering her voice so only the blonde could hear. "Let me guess. 'Boaby' means 'dick', doesn't it?"

"Yes. Yes it does." Elsa flashed her a smile. "You're getting the hang of Scottish pretty quickly." Her gaze flicked up suddenly, Anna following her line of sight again to catch a glimpse of Mr. Aren before someone blocked her view. The blonde tensed like she was going to take a step but stopped, glancing at Anna.

"I'll go with you, if you're worried about leaving me alone."

"No. I mean, I'd want you to be there if they were acting kinder towards you, Sunshine, but with the way they've been acting?" Elsa shook her head. "No, I'm _not_ going to give them an opportunity to hurt you further."

"You just don't want me there to stop you from telling them off." Anna playfully accused, trying her best to add a bit of lighthearted teasing to the moment. Tension seemed to be the theme for their trip thus far and she needed to pull out all the stop to keep things from boiling over. "Then go talk to him, Snowflake." She offered an encouraging smile. "I can hold my own for a few minutes. I'm sure Merida will be back before anything happens."

"I'll be right back, I promise." Elsa gave her another kiss, this one lasting a little longer. "I love you, Sunshine."

"I love you too, Snowflake." Anna watched her go, a nervous energy running through her system. She should've pushed harder to have this conversation _before_ the party but, in her defense, she never imagined Hans would end up here, of all places.

She really should've asked him a bit more about his family while they were dating. About all Anna had ever bothered to find out was that the whole lot of them were lawyers of some sort.

"She knows, doesn't she?"

And speak of the devil...

Anna turned, keeping her expression as close to polite as she could manage while facing her ex-boyfriend. "Yes, she does."

"And she's still with you?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "Will wonders never cease. I came here looking to catch her interest, you know." Hans shrugged, lips stretched in that cocky, smug smile of his. "My brothers had told me all about the beautiful Aren heiress, how she's basically the perfect woman, if a bit... cold towards her possible suitors. I guess they weren't big enough freaks to get her attention."

"Stop it, Hans." Anna allowed her brows to furrow, a frown settling on her lips. "Don't do this; it's her _birthday_."

He raised a brow, obviously surprised by the lack of reaction from her. She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. "Right, of course. I wouldn't want to cause a scene or anything. Although I wonder: do her parents know about your _little_ secret?"

Damn it all to Hell; she should've seen that question coming. Rather than answering instantly, Anna glanced over her shoulder, looking for Elsa, and her hesitation was all the answer he needed.

"I see. Well, in that case..."

Hans immediately threw his head back and laughed, _loud_. To the point everyone around them took a step back, confusion and concern written on their faces, his strange outburst garnering far more attention than Anna wanted.

"Hans, stop, _please_." She whispered urgently but it was too late. One of Hans' brothers was coming towards them, staring at his brother.

"Hans, what's wrong?"

"You'll never believe what Miss Anna just told me, brother!" Hans calmed himself, speaking so loud Anna swore she could hear an echo bouncing through the hall. "Apparently, she has a penis! Can you believe that?"

Hans' continued laughter could barely be heard over the collective gasp emitted from the people surrounding them. Even his brother seemed more than a bit surprised by the announcement, faltering slightly in his trek towards the youngest Westerguard.

Anna clenched her jaw, balling both hands into fists. Not once but _twice_ in a matter of months, Hans had gone out of his way to embarrass her in front of people, specifically people she actually _wanted_ to impress. She had half a mind to knock him out or throw him through a window- or both, really, she wasn't picky at this point- but feeling the eyes of everyone in the room boring into her kept her from acting out that impulse. She didn't want to make the situation any worse by living up to the 'violent American' stereotype.

And really, she was _more_ irate over the fact that he couldn't contain his hatred for her for _one damned night_. It was Elsa's fucking birthday party, and he felt the need to ruin it, just so he could... what? Exact some sort of perverse retribution for his own fucking stupidity?

She could feel her heart pounding as heat rose in her face. Anna wasn't sure if it was more from embarrassment or anger at this point.

The gruff clearing of a throat brought the attention of everyone to the center of the room. There, standing between her parents, was Elsa, openly glaring at Hans with all her fury. To the blonde's right stood Mr. Aren, looking extremely formal in his crisp tuxedo. To Elsa's left was Mrs. Aren, wearing a beautifully flowing dress. Standing together as they were, the three looked like a royal family, about to grace their subjects with their presence.

Or their judgment, in this case.

Well, _that_ did nothing to settle the emotions twisting her stomach into knots. Especially when Elsa stepped forward- intent on what, she couldn't guess- and Mr. Aren stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, striding forward himself. He stopped a few feet from Hans and Anna, his gaze directed at the redhead.

"What Mr. Westerguard has said... is it true?" His voice was steady, no hint of inflection, giving Anna no idea how he felt about the revelation.

She risked a glance over to Elsa, who spared her an encouraging smile inbetween glaring at Hans. Mustering her courage, Anna spoke with confidence. "Yes, Sir."

"Are you fertile?" Mr. Aren seemed completely nonplussed by his own question, despite the few quiet gasps of shock that echoed around the room.

Even Elsa seemed surprised by the question. " _Father_ -"

Mr. Aren held up a hand, silencing anything further as he stared Anna down. She could feel the blush rising high in her cheeks and see Hans' smug expression out of the corner of her eye.

"Y-yes, Sir, I am." The redhead shrugged helplessly.

Mr. Aren nodded, stepping closer to her and setting his hands on her shoulders. "Then you're _perfect_." He sharply turned his head to the side. "Elsa! You'll marry this one _immediately_!" He pulled Anna into a one-armed hug while lifting his other arm, a wide smile on his lips. "Idunn, call a wedding planner! Kai, bring out the champagne glasses! Tonight, we celebrate!"

"Um... what?" Anna blinked in surprise, looking at Elsa.

The blonde, for her part, seemed just as taken aback by the announcement but recovered quickly, caution coloring her tone. "Father... what are you doing?"

"What's best for my little girl," he replied, pulling away to beam at Anna, studying her face for a time. Mr. Aren nodded, apparently satisfied by what he saw. "Yes, she's perfect. The wedding will be next week. We mustn't delay."

"Father, _what are you doing_?" Elsa grabbed his arm and tried pulling him away from Anna. "Shouldn't _we_ decide when we get married?"

Mr. Aren raised a brow, as if the idea hadn't occurred to him. "I see no reason to delay the inevitable."

"Wait. Let me get this straight." Hans suddenly piped up, his anger nearly palpable as he fumed. "You're going to let your precious daughter and heir to the family legacy marry a deformed, disgusting _she-male_?"

Anna's eyes widened further in shock- that was a particular low blow coming from someone she used to actually _like_ \- but Elsa and her father rounded on the man instantly, clearly upset with his outburst.

"You will _never_ refer to her like that again." Elsa warned, Olaf, Marshall, and Merida appearing just behind her and adding their obvious displeasure with Hans to the scene. Merida even went as far as punching one of her hands with the other, a promise written clearly on her face.

"I'll not stand to have my future daughter-in-law insulted." Mr. Aren turned his head until his gaze fell on Mr. Westergard. "Do I need to have him removed, Alan?"

"No, Ingvar. I'm sure my son can mind his manners and _apologize_ for his unruly behavior." Mr. Westergard stepped up beside Hans, leveling a severe gaze at his incredulous son.

"You want me to _what_? After what _she_ put me through?" Hans sneered at Anna, rolling his eyes and turning towards the door. "Forget it; I'll show myself out." He took a few steps, then tossed over his shoulder. "I wasn't interested in your whore of a daughter anyway."

And with that, something in Anna _snapped_. Before she could register it, the redhead was a step behind her ex-boyfriend. He turned towards her, sensing her presence behind him and ready to spout off something else when her fist connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"You can insult me all you want Hans, that's fine." Anna stood over him, glaring down as he absently rubbed at his chin. "You can hate me until we're dead and for all eternity after, I'm okay with that. But you _do not_ pin that on Elsa. She's the most _wonderful_ person on the planet and you don't get to hate _her_ just because she associates with _me_." Anna felt tears pricking at her eyes but forced them back. "You're just as guilty as I am, but if you need someone to blame your broken ego on, blame it on me. Don't drag Elsa into our failed relationship."

Hans got to his feet, meeting her gaze the whole while. Only a few inches separated them and Anna was primed and ready to fight, in the event he threw the next punch. She wasn't about to give in to the impulse to destroy the man standing in front of her though; she got her point across and was perfectly willing to leave it at that.

Finally, he scoffed and turned, continuing on his away out of the room. "You aren't worthy of my time."

Anna's hands balled into fists again, a dull throb radiating from her right that she ignored in favor of focusing all her energy on maintaining her composure. That is, until a familiar pair of arms encircled her, pulling her back against Elsa's body.

"You're worthy of every second of _my_ time, Sunshine, and every ounce of my energy." Elsa's breath tickled the redhead's ear with the whispered words. "Never forget that."

Turning in the blonde's embrace, the rest of the world melted away as she enveloped Elsa in a crushing hug. Anna's chest heaved with quiet sobs as her girlfriend gently rubbed her back, murmuring soft, comforting words.

The weird thing was, she wasn't crying because she was sad or upset; no, she was _happy_. Happy because, after all the shit they'd been through in the past few months alone, here they were, still together, still in love, still fighting tooth and nail against anyone who might try to bring them down.

She remembered, dimly, asking her mother what love was when she was still a small child, before she fully comprehended how she was different from her peers. Her mother had said love was something built between two people, like a castle, something that could be strong or weak, grand or tiny, depending on the people involved. That it was easy and impossible at times, something she'd understand when she was older, but oh so rewarding if the feelings were true and enough effort was put into it. Anna realized in that moment exactly the type of relationship she'd built with Elsa: a solid castle that only grew in size and magnificence with time, that could withstand the harshest winds and the most turbulent storms.

People like Hans couldn't hurt her anymore; the moment Elsa's arms enveloped her, she was safe inside the castle they'd built together.

_"Your arms are my castle, your heart is my sky..."_ she sang quietly, muffled by Elsa's shoulder.

The blonde heard her regardless and softly continued the line, brushing her tears lightly against Anna's cheeks. _"They wipe away tears that I cry."_

They sang the next part together. " _The good and the bad times, we've been through them all. You make me rise when I fall."_

Anna pressed a soft kiss to the blonde's lips. "I love you, my precious Snowflake."

"And I love you, my eternal Sunshine."

Another arm around her brought the redhead's attention jarringly back to their surroundings, noting the smattering of applause through out the room. She followed the arm around her shoulders up to see Mr. Aren smiling at her, tears pricking at his eyes.

"It was always my dream that my daughter would find someone to love her as much as I do. To protect her and support her." He turned slightly, pressing a kiss to Elsa's forehead as tears once again formed in his eyes. "It warms my heart to see the two of you together."

"You're really okay with this?" Anna squeaked, clearing her throat before trying again in a stronger voice. "I mean, Sir, are you really giving us your blessing?"

Mr. Aren nodded, a wide smile on his lips as he released them and stepped back. "Of course! With the wedding next week-"

"Father," Elsa said, a warning clear in her tone.

"Oh, fine." Mr. Aren frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not exactly fond of having children out of wedlock but I suppose I can make an exception. Now-" His countenance returned to the unbridled joy from earlier. "When can I expect my first grandchild? By spring, yes?"

Elsa and Anna exchanged shocked looks, eyes wide and jaws hanging slightly open. Then, Elsa's face morphed into one of pure annoyance, releasing Anna to reach out and tug on her father's ear, pulling him away and rapidly rattling off something in Norwegian. She was going so quickly, the redhead was completely bemused as she watched the scene unfold, unable to catch even a single word.

The rest of the guests appeared to be politely ignoring the father/daughter squabble, which consisted of Elsa rattling off something with a pinched expression of annoyance while her father replied in genuine confusion and excitement.

"Would you like the short version?" Anna nearly jumped out of her skin as Elsa's mother sidled up next to her, a small smile on her lips. The woman motioned towards her husband and daughter. "This is not the first time they've had this... conversation."

"I... wouldn't want to intrude..." Anna bit her lip, glancing at her girlfriend. "But I _am_ curious."

"It's a long standing point of contention between them." Mrs. Aren took a sip from a champagne glass, which Anna just noticed many guests were holding and drinking from idly. "For Ingvar, continuing the family line has always been important. He wanted to have many children himself but... fate did not comply with that wish." She gave a helpless shrug. "So some things go, I suppose. However, he's always stressed to Elsa how much he hoped for a large family. For reasons that are now quite evident, bearing children has never been a priority for Elsa."

As Mrs. Aren chuckled and shook her head, Anna blinked, an irrational rage building under the surface. _That's_ what this was about? "So... he _just_ wants grandkids? Doesn't he-"

"No, you misunderstand." Mrs. Aren cut her off quickly, turning towards Anna. "He first and foremost wants Elsa to be happy, but he wasn't chosen to succeed his uncle based on his love for our daughter. Ingvar always wanted Elsa to accomplish what he couldn't: to raise a large family of Arens to carry on the family tradition. When Ingvar decides he wants something, he doesn't let it go, and his tenacity has served him well in the business world. Elsa inherited that, I think." She returned her gaze to the two, smile falling slightly. "Ingvar took it hard when she first told us about you. Not through any fault of your own, mind, but because he wasn't sure what that would mean for the bloodline. As much as he's pushed for a bigger family, he couldn't hold onto that if our sweet daughter had chosen another woman for her lover. Neither could he disapprove of someone who made her so obviously happy. I was not as... supportive as I could've been during her initial revelation, true, but that was my failing. I was caught between the desires of my husband and those of my daughter. I made a decision and perhaps I chose the wrong side but it's of no consequence now." Mrs. Aren nodded towards them. "Ingvar has spent the past several months willing himself to relinquish that argument, to stop pushing Elsa for a large family. He wanted her to find a... partner who could give her all the happiness in the world and she's found that in you; how could he begrudge her that? I've tried to be supportive but it's been... difficult." A wide smile spread slowly across her face. "But now, can you blame him for being excited now that it's possible for his dream to come true? To have more grandchildren than either of us could hold running through these halls and his only daughter happy? To have both?"

Anna and Mrs. Aren turned to regard the man as he wildly gesticulated in Anna's direction, saying something that brought a heavy flush to Elsa's skin.

"He literally said: just look at her; your babies will be beautiful."

The redhead stared for a moment, then let out a snort that slowly evolved into a full-bellied laugh. She stumbled her way over to Elsa, nearly tackling the blonde as she wrapped her up in a hug and buried her head in the other woman's shoulder.

"Sunshine..." Elsa murmured, obviously anxious about how Anna was taking the whole scene.

While it had certainly been an eventful night, the redhead couldn't even complain about the turn of events, pulling away just enough to meet Mr. Aren's gaze.

" _Sir, your daughter is the most amazing person I've ever met, an absolutely remarkable woman in every way. We've made it this far by working together. Please, allow us to continue making these decisions for ourselves._ " Anna turned her head, smiling wider as she caught Elsa looking at her with absolute adoration, those brilliant blue eyes shining just as they did the first time they met. " _We'll try not to keep you waiting for too long but I trust Elsa with all I have. I'm not going anywhere. Every step forward, we take together, so let us walk the path before us at our own pace, please._ "

Mr. Aren smiled and nodded. " _Under one condition._ " Anna and Elsa faced him, still holding onto the other. "Please, do not call me 'herre'. I would prefer if you used 'far'."

"Far," Anna said, giggling slightly at Elsa's obvious excitement at hearing her father's condition. " _Father._ "

" _Which means you will be addressing me as 'mother' now._ " Mrs. Aren added, standing beside her husband. " _Already our family grows._ "

" _We should arrange to visit America soon._ " Ingvar nodded towards Anna. " _We would both be very honored to meet your parents, Anna._ "

" _I'm sure they'll be happy to meet both of you as well, to be honest,_ " the redhead replied, shooting Elsa a triumphant smile when Idunn laughed at the inside joke.

Without another word, Elsa swept her up into another kiss, relief washing away all the anxieties that had built up during their stay so far.

Anna could hardly pay attention to anything else for the rest of the night, completely dazzled by her girlfriend's smile.

* * *

Once the festivities started dying down, Anna offered to walk Elsa back to her room, the two having been nearly inseparable the remainder of the night. Each of them had to suffer through at least four of Mr. Westergard's apologies- and two or three from each of Hans' brothers, all _twelve_ of them- before the men realized that the couple truly bore his family no ill will whatsoever- though neither was ready nor willing to forgive Hans at all. At one point, Anna even acknowledged that, if it _hadn't_ been for Hans, they might not have made it this far; the incident at the ice rink was certainly an important milestone and turning point in their relationship, and the ignorant jackass did deserve that tiny bit of credit for pushing them in the right direction.

Not that Anna wasn't going to tell Elsa eventually, of course, but even the redhead could admit that things had worked out for the best, something she wouldn't change for the world.

Then again, they couldn't even complain about the Westerguards' apologies, not really; after the scene with Hans, none of the forewarned 'would-be lover boys' even dared approached the blonde. No one thought to give Anna any trouble either, though neither woman could claim full credit for that; Merida _might_ have chased off a few close-minded individuals who were speaking ill of the star couple.

Heck, up until the presents were presented or opened, most people had completely forgotten the party was for Elsa's birthday and not, in fact, an engagement party- though they both got plenty of congratulations regarding that supposed development.

Much as Anna had hoped, Elsa loved her gift. During that brief time in their relationship when the redhead was doing her best to ignore the other woman, Anna had taken a job working at a store that sold custom music boxes. After getting in touch with her former employer, she'd ordered one for Elsa that played _What's This?_ from _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ , explaining that she hoped, whenever the blonde felt weary from the weight of her responsibility, she'd hear the song and rediscover her passion.

So, weary from the party and the emotional turmoil of their trip, but satisfied at how everything had turned out, Anna strolled down the hallway with one arm around her girlfriend's waist, helping support some of the blonde's weight. She'd warned Elsa about wearing those heels and was now listening to the complaints with her best 'I told you so' face.

"Next time, I'm wearing a suit." Elsa concluded, stifling a yawn as they turned the last corner.

"Make sure you give me plenty of warning; I'll be sure to stuff cotton balls into my mouth to deter the drool." Anna joked. "Come to think of it, I might have an aneurysm. You may need to give me a private showing beforehand, so I can gauge my ability to resist you."

The blonde chuckled. "You're implying you will _ever_ be able to resist me, Sunshine."

"Good point." She laughed, feeling the sting of annoyance as they arrived in front of Elsa's door. It reminded her of the beginning of their relationship, parting ways with the blonde just to return to her apartment and look forward to the next time they could see each other and she mentally made a note to readdress their living arrangements once they got back to the States. "I guess this means good night."

Elsa sighed, clearly not happy about it but nodding all the same, drawing Anna into a tender kiss. "Good night, Kjæreste."

"Good night, Snowflake. I'll see you in the morning."

Anna waited until Elsa opened her door, turning to head down the hall to her own room while she still had the willpower. She stopped, however, when she heard Elsa's voice, obviously surprised but not sounding too alarmed. Turning around, the redhead caught the door opening wider so Gerda could exit.

" _I was just moving Miss Anna's things._ " The older woman explained, smiling as her gaze fell on Anna. " _There you are! You're more than welcome to check and make sure I didn't miss anything, Miss Anna, but I suggest you wait until morning. You look very tired._ "

Anna blinked. " _Miss anything?_ "

" _Yes._ " Gerda brushed past her, that familiar twinkle in her eyes as she hurried away. " _Good night to both of you!_ "

The redhead watched her go, cocking her head to the side. "Wait, what?"

"Sunshine, come here." Anna turned, seeing Elsa standing in her doorway wearing a tired smile and holding one of Anna's bags. "Apparently, my mother had a change of heart."

A change of heart...?

"So... we can sleep together again?" Suddenly, the weariness slid away from her frame as Elsa nodded, prompting the redhead to surge forward and literally sweep her girlfriend off her feet bridal style, cradling the other woman to her chest. "That means I get cuddles! Wait, I _do_ get cuddles, right?"

"And a story, if you get ready for bed quick enough," Elsa replied, looping her arms around Anna's neck and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I'm exhausted but I think I have just enough energy for-"

She didn't even need to finish that statement, Anna already carrying her through the threshold and kicking the door closed behind them. After far too long without the blonde's soft voice, steady heartbeat, and comforting touch to lull her to sleep, Anna was too excited for words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I sat down to write this, I tried imagining Elsa's father's reaction, and I decided that- as a rich, powerful, and loving man- he would essentially be a more serious version of Varrick from The Legend of Korra. It was very hard not to work "Idunn! Do the thing!" into this somewhere. So hard. It also bugged me that Hans didn't really get his comeuppance in Scheherazade for being a tool. I'm way too fond of karma to let that one slide.


	4. Another Step Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own shit, last chap

It didn't occur to her until the following morning at breakfast that she'd pretty much shouted 'we can sleep together again' loud enough for her girlfriend's parents to hear her, resulting in none-too-subtle encouragement from Ingvar and more than a little teasing from Merida, Olaf, and Marshall. While they at least had the courtesy to blush and stammer out an explanation- that, no, that's not what was meant- neither young woman was in any position to complain about the gentle teasing. It was a vast improvement over the previous few days, all of them laughing and joking and just talking, no hint of tension in anyone.

Ingvar even invited Elsa and Anna to accompany him to work, which resulted in a parade of animated introductions to everyone from board executives to the security guards who manned the door. While the blonde was seeing many familiar faces and a few new ones, very few had met Anna before, and the redhead had to fight not to show her absolute amusement throughout the day. The hardest part of the whole experience was determining who was prouder: Elsa or Ingvar.

They spent the next few days touring the IKEA corporate buildings or sightseeing around Amsterdam, with either Ingvar or Idunn acting as their guide. Merida, Marshall, and Olaf tagged along as well, offering their colorful commentary and sneaking the couple off for a few hours to engage in random shenanigans- one day, they hopped on a train without even reading where it was headed and ended up in some city Anna couldn't pronounce. It took them the remained of the day to get back home but totally worth the diversion.

Meals were a family affair now, with the Norwegians teasing Anna and Merida about their aversion to food that could look at them. The redheads, however, quickly teamed up, demanding a traditional Scottish dinner one night that had the others nervous. Anna couldn't understand how people who regularly ate fish with dead eyes staring at them the whole meal could balk at the dish... until she found out that the whole 'sheep innards' thing wasn't a cultural misconception. Still, it tasted pretty good and it didn't stare at her, so Anna was alright with it, much to Elsa's confusion.

They decided to keep traditional fish and sheep innards meals to once-in-a-while events and stick to Tony's for their date nights.

With everything turning around so suddenly, the trip to The Netherlands was over almost too soon. Anna had just started feeling the subtle itch to go back to America when they found themselves back at the terminal, Elsa's parents and friends sending them off with smiles and only a few tears.

Elsa was talking to her mother, the two having reconciled in the past few days, while Anna stood off to the side, listening to Olaf's animated retelling of her punching Hans at the party.

She didn't remember riding in on a velociraptor, though.

"Anna, could I have a word with you before you depart?" Ingvar gently guided her a few steps away from the others with a hand on her shoulder.

"Uh, sure." The redhead laughed nervously, glancing back at Elsa. She hadn't really had a one-on-one conversation with the blonde's father yet but, she mentally conceded, her father had spoken to Elsa one-on-one, and that probably didn't turn out too bad. Come to think of it, she wasn't sure what they talked about during that time.

Maybe she should ask.

"First, I would like to thank you for your... patience." Ingvar's eyes flicked towards his daughter. "I understand we were not as... friendly as we should've been and I sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding."

"It's fine, really." Anna smiled. "I'm just glad we were able to straighten everything out. I know it was tough on Elsa."

"Yes, she mentioned that you were quite steadfast in keeping her from giving both of us an earful." He chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "She's grown into a fine young woman. I'm very proud of her." He was quiet a moment before looking at the redhead. "There was a time when my approval was paramount in her mind, something she sought and prized above all else... but that distinction has passed to you, now. When you have a child of your own, you'll understand what I mean when I say that she means _the world_ to me. Please, guard the love, trust, and faith she's placed in you well. I don't think I could handle seeing her heartbroken."

Anna blinked, suddenly fighting back tears. "Honestly, I don't think I could handle that either."

Ingvar nodded, smiling wide as he clapped her on the shoulders. "I've never been so happy she chose to study in America. Idunn and I will arrange to visit as soon as possible."

"I'll tell my parents as soon as-" Anna puffed out a breath as Ingvar pulled her into a tight hug.

"Elsa said your parents are the 'hugging type'."

The redhead laughed, returning the embrace. "Yeah, we all are."

"I feel like I missed an important development." Anna and Ingvar looked at Elsa and Idunn, the former smiling while the latter seemed pleasantly confused.

"Come here, Snowflake." Anna reached out, grabbing the blonde's arm and pulling her in while Ingvar coaxed his wife closer, the four of them chuckling as Olaf, Marshall, and Merida joined in. "Group hugs are the best, huh?"

"They certainly have their merits," Elsa replied, glancing at her watch. "But we'll need to get through security now if we're going to make our flight." She gave her parents pecks on their cheeks. " _I love you both. Please, come see us soon._ And you three are more than welcome to come visit, too."

"Oh, we should've gotten tickets so we could fly back with you!" Olaf bounced on the balls of his feet until Marshall placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"I think we should let the happy couple have some time to recover before we go visit." He winked at them, prompting both young women to chuckle and the elder Frossen to frown slightly.

Merida blew a particularly unruly strand of hair out of her face. "Tis nae lik' we bide in th' nineteenth hunners, wee jimmies. We kin keep in titch wit' th' wonders o' technology, mind?"

"Exactly!" Anna and Elsa went to grab their bags, a little heavier with some souvenirs. "It was wonderful meeting all of you!"

They traded a few more goodbyes and promises to meet up again soon before the couple were able to make their way to the terminal. They still had some time before boarding began, so they found two chairs next to each other and sat down, as close as the seats would allow.

"So, that went really well, I think." Anna commented, wrapping an arm around Elsa's shoulders as the blonde rolled her eyes.

"How do you figure?"

"Well, you said that I should trust you because your parents would love me. And you were absolutely right." She pressed a quick kiss to her girlfriend's temple. "I shouldn't have doubted you, even for a second."

"Oh, I know you didn't doubt me. You just let _this_ -" she tapped a finger against Anna's forehead "-work you up for no reason."

"Fair enough." Anna laughed. "I'll work on that."

Elsa rested her head on the redhead's shoulder. "Kristoff's going to pick us up from the airport, right?"

"Yeah, talked to him last night." She'd actually called Kristoff quite a few times during their trip, though most of their Skype conversations boiled down to her venting her frustrations and him listening. The last few, though, revolved around the sights she'd seen and occasionally featured Sven, Eugene, Rapunzel, or another of their friends popping in to say hi. Sven more than the others, though, seeing as he was very interested in visiting Europe himself one day. Well, specifically- "Hey, wait a minute." Anna pulled back, waiting until Elsa was looking at her before continuing. "We never even went to London to see the Sweeny Todd Museum!"

The blonde instantly blushed, a small smile claiming her lips. "Uh, Sunshine, about that..."

Anna shook her head. "So you _were_ toying with my American sensibilities."

"No, I saw an opportunity to broach the topic and took it."

"And promptly forgot about it."

"Yes."

They both laughed, Anna pulling Elsa into a kiss. "I love you, Snowflake, even if you lured me here under false pretenses."

"I love you too, Sunshine."

* * *

Her second trans-Atlantic flight felt much longer than the first, though she was at least able to catch a few hours' sleep during that time. It disoriented her a bit, though, when they disembarked and noted the local time.

"We left later in the day and lost hours going against the time zones instead of with them." Elsa explained as they collected their luggage. "Jet lag's a pain, trust me."

"Yeah, no kidding. I feel like we only left a few hours ago and it's already noon!"

"That's why I warned you to take an extra three days off from work after our return flight. It'll take some time to adjust your sleep schedule."

Anna frowned, responding with a noncommittal 'right' as she realized they would be going back to their respective apartments. She had to unpack, do laundry, all those little things that came with returning home from a vacation.

She suddenly wished she'd thought ahead enough to just go to Elsa's after getting back.

"There's Kristoff." Elsa's voice brought her back to the present, a smile erupting as she caught sight of Elsa's beat up pickup pulling into the loading zone.

"Good to see my two favorite ladies back!" Kristoff got out of the truck and wrapped them both up in a hug, helping throw their bags into the back of the truck.

"It's good to see you too, Kris." Elsa slid into the middle seat, allowing Anna to take the window. "I trust everything went well in our absence."

"You bet!" He opened his mouth as though to say something else but thought better of it, throwing the truck into gear. "Let's get you two home so you can start your recovery. Visiting the 'rents is always an... experience."

The three of them idly talked on the drive back to Elsa's apartment, rehashing some of the events- this time, she _wasn't_ riding a velociraptor when she punched Hans, though given Kristoff's reaction, she might as well have been- and learning of some recent developments between Anna's and Kristoff's friends. The blond seemed genuinely surprised and impressed that Anna planned on letting the crew in on her secret, remarking that he was certain they'd probably tease her about it for a week and then forget all about it.

Except Eugene.

"I think you've got him beat, though, so you shouldn't worry about it."

Elsa narrowed her eyes as Kristoff made the turn into her apartment complex. "Wait, _he's_ seen-"

"Not intentionally!" Anna crossed her arms over her chest. " _Someone_ doesn't always knock when he enters a room and not one more word about it, Kris, or so help me, I will make you regret it!"

The blond chuckled, stopping the truck by Elsa's apartment and throwing it in park. "Well, last stop, everyone."

"Last stop? Kris-" Anna did a double take, quirking a brow. "Wait, what's my Mini doing here?" Sure enough, there it was, parked next to Elsa's Golf. When the redhead looked back to her two companions, both of them were wearing matching, conspiritory smiles. "What's going on?"

"I... hope you don't mind. I thought it would be a nice surprise." Elsa gently nudged her shoulder, encouraging her to get out of the truck.

"Yeah, I explained everything to Sven already, so he's cool if you decide you want your old room back." Kristoff got out, still smiling as Anna put the pieces together.

"My _old_ room?"

"Yep."

"As in, my room in the apartment that we share?"

"Well... not anymore." He nodded towards Elsa, who was standing beside the redhead. "You've got a new roommate now."

Anna, dumbfounded, looked to the blonde for an explanation.

"That's why I wanted Kristoff to have all the keys. He, uh, moved your stuff over and did some... rearranging. You already have a key and everything, so..." Elsa reached up towards her braid but Anna intercepted her hand, meeting the blonde's gaze as she smiled. "I guess the only thing that's left is to officially ask you. Will you move in with me, Sunshine?"

Anna laughed. "Saying no at this point would be really silly, wouldn't it?"

"It's still an option-"

"Shush, no it's not, it's too late, I'm not letting you back out now!" Anna reached into the bed of the truck and grabbed their bags, pushing Elsa's into her hands while taking her own. "I can't wait to see it! Can we cuddle? Please tell me we can cuddle!"

"Slow down, Feisty Pants." Kristoff laughed. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of time for- oof!"

Anna laughed as she knocked the wind out of her best friend, leaning back to lift him an inch or so off the ground. "Kris, you're the best! Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah, I think I got the better end of the deal anyway." He teased, patting her on the back. "Now go cuddle with your girl, and don't be a stranger, okay? I don't think Elsa's met Sven yet, so come on by for dinner sometime."

"Definitely!" Anna laughed, waiting for Elsa to round the vehicle before they went up to the apartment, waving a final goodbye to Kristoff. "So, you had this planned before we even left?"

"It wasn't hard, Sunshine." Elsa smirked. "You were a bit busy freaking out about the trip. I think you even walked in when Kristoff and I were talking about it once and you didn't even notice."

"That's definitely something I probably did." She laughed, fishing out her key and unlocking the door. "Okay, are we ready?"

"Sure?" Elsa raised a brow, mildly amused by the redhead's excitement.

Anna took a breath, then opened the door and stepped into _their_ apartment.

The entryway didn't look too different, except there were now pictures on the walls featuring the two of them together and some with Anna's friends. In the living room, Anna could see the wall mounted TV was replaced with an entertainment center, Elsa's gaming platforms tucked neatly into the sections. Games were stored beneath them while movies partially filled out the sides. The bookcases formerly located in the bedroom had been moved out as well, with an additional bookcase filled with Anna's favorite titles and textbooks, and the couch was replaced with a full set the redhead had shown Elsa on their trip to IKEA during Spring Break. The dining room set was also swapped out with one Anna had chosen.

"Oh wow." Anna looked around, absolutely amazed at how much the space had changed. Elsa gently nudged her to keep going, the two of them heading into the bedroom next.

Anna was floored the moment the door opened. Without the posters, bookcases, and desk, the room looked nothing like it used to, instead filled with another dresser- again, Anna's choice. Rather than pushed to one side the bed now stood in the center, with matching night stands and lamps on either side. Anna dropped her bag, hands going up to cover her mouth in order to contain the squeal of joy welling in her throat.

"Elsa, this is- just- _amazing_!" The redhead saw the vanity in the corner, big enough for both of them to use, and the closet already separated with her clothes hung neatly on the right side. "But, I mean, your stuff! The posters and your computer and-"

"It's in the other room." Her girlfriend gently took her by the arm, leading her towards the back of the apartment. Sure enough, that spare room was transformed into a functional study, with two desks- Elsa's and one Anna had been dying to get for years- and chairs, Elsa's side reflecting her gaming passion with posters while Anna's side... had very familiar posters of certain boy bands. "I _may_ have talked to your parents a couple of weeks ago about borrowing some things from your room at their place."

Words. Words absolutely failed her at the moment. Anna turned, pulling Elsa into a bruising kiss and squeezing her tight.

"Snowflake... I just..." Tears stung at her eyes and the redhead gave up hope on vocalizing, instead burying her head in Elsa's shoulder and holding onto her, relieved when she felt fingers slowly massaging her scalp.

"I got to thinking about the trip, how we were going all the way to The Netherlands for my birthday, but we didn't do anything for yours. You didn't even tell me when your birthday was until it had passed and I didn't press the issue because... well, we were both a little silly and secretive back then, weren't we?" Elsa chuckled as Anna just nodded her head, tears slowly soaking into the other woman's shirt. "And, while we- for all intents and purposes- already live together, I thought making it official would be a nice belated birthday surprise."

"So it's ours now?" Anna pulled back, sniffling slightly despite the wide smile on her face. "Not just yours but ours?"

"Yes, all ours, Sunshine. And it's in need of only a few minor adjustments." At her raised brow, Elsa carefully excused herself, leaving the redhead to just stand and wonder about how, not even a full year ago, she'd been completely convinced that reaching this stage in a relationship, period, was impossible.

And yet here she was, standing in an apartment that she was sharing with her girlfriend.

Words continued to fail her, even in her own head.

"Here we go." Elsa returned, stepping around the redhead to place the music box on her desk, just beside her monitor. She opened the lid, allowing the tune to start playing as she gathered Anna into her arms, the two exchanging another kiss. "Welcome home, Sunshine."

"This is home." Anna buried into Elsa's embrace again, not even fighting the tears. "I love you, Snowflake."

"And I, you, Sunshine."

* * *

Two hours later, as they were lying on the couch and fighting to stay awake, Anna sat up suddenly, startling Elsa.

"That jerk!" Anna looked around at all the changes made to the apartment again. "He put all this together! He got to put _all_ of this together! That's what he meant by getting the better end of the deal!"

Elsa quirked a brow at her. "If you'd rather, next time I'll take Kristoff with me and _you_ can put them together."

The redhead was quiet a moment before settling back down. "I didn't say _that_."

"Right." Her girlfriend laughed, pressing a kiss behind her ear. "Next time I have to set up a display at work, I'll call you to come help. Does that make it up to you?" Anna stared at her for a full two seconds before she amended her offer. "Plus cuddles and a story. Satisfied?"

"Nope." Anna replied, barely feigning a pout before she smiled again. "Because, no matter what, I'll never get enough of you."

Elsa rolled her eyes and laughed, the two returning their attention to the TV.

Anna ended up drifting off not long after, completely content. In a matter of months, she'd experienced more firsts than she cared to count, and her relationship with the wonderful woman holding her had only become stronger for all the trials they'd faced. It was hard not to take a step back and just bask in the serenity while they could, before circumstances cropped up to, once more, throw wrenches into their plans. At least they could always find love, comfort, and support in each other's arms.

And, really, wasn't that what it was all about?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next fic will be rated M and finish out this series. If you aren't up for smut, don't worry; you'll see it coming and can skip the scenes. Thanks to all those who've enjoyed this.

**Author's Note:**

> Most of this note is rendered null upon second posting... oh well. A huge thanks goes out to all of you who have enjoyed this series. Your support is amazing.


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